The Chosen Warriors
by Fruitloop Trooper
Summary: The digimon partners of the Chosen Children have been destroyed by the government sponsered Digital Hunters. Qinglongmon gave the remaining children armor that allows them to evolve into other anime charecters.
1. Solution to the Chosen Children Problem

_Author's note_: This story idea was originally created by Lord Archive. You can view this one and more at his web page. I have the address on my bio page.

I hope you do give his page a view so you can discover that even though this story will start out slow, it will turn out very interesting. Since this was his idea, and to honor this great and influential writer, I will be using the un-dubbed names. I think you all know the original names, so I won't go into that. Like I said, it's going to start out slow, but I hope you keep reading, if you're fans of other animes, you're going to like it. Enjoy.

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Chosen Warriors:

_Prologue:_

_The Solution to the __Chosen__ Children Problem_

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It's funny how quickly life can change, isn't it? One moment you could be lying in your big comfy bed in your safe happy home, choosing Universities to apply to, and planning your weekend trip with your friends, and the next moment be running for your lives, with everyone, even your friends and family turned against you. No, that's not entirely true. Sometimes you have an older brother who stands by you no matter what, who will hug you and tell you that everything will be all right, even though your far too old to believe it. Suddenly, your picture perfect world became much darker.

My name is Yagami Hikari, but please don't call me Kari. The only person that can call me that is my Oniichan, Taichi. My favorite hobbies are photography and playing with little children. I even once dreamed of becoming a teacher, but I don't think that's going to happen now. Certain events have forced my friends and me to escape from the life that we once pictured for ourselves.

You probably remember the great world invasion that happened on Christmas Eve when the world became over run with Digimon that had been let into this world by a human who used them to distract my friends and I. I bet you didn't know about the last part, right? That's because ever since that incident, the entire world has been against the Chosen Children. The governments called it "The Chosen Children Problem." I find it to be a great injury to a child's self esteem to be called a 'problem.' It wasn't until two years later when my friends and I found out that those digimon caused more of a problem then we realized. The destruction of property drove many people into debts and many places were forced to close. That's not counting the loss of life. The leaders were afraid of a backlash and those governments that _could_ be easily overthrown were afraid of a coup; with all of this pressure, they needed someone to place the blame, and they choose us. I can understand why they did it, but it was still a prejudice move. Just because we had some connection to the Digital World, doesn't necessarily mean we were responsible. Of course, now that they had the scapegoats, they needed to do something with them.

The United Nations finally decided that all of the Chosen Children were threats to world security and needed to be dealt with. The solution was to 'relocate' all of us to special government area where we would probably never be seen again. We wouldn't stand for that, and they knew it. They needed someone to hunt us down; that's when _they_ appeared. The Digital Hunters; equipped with the latest technology in weapons and surveillance, they appeared in Tokyo one day with the mission of capturing us. We escaped into the Digital World, but somehow they were able to follow us…..

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Hikari panted as she charged through the darkened forest, sweat causing her short hair to plaster to her face. She was having difficulty breathing; it felt like her lungs were about to burst out of her chest. The sweat pouring from her forehead snake into her eyes, causing them to sting. She closed her eye lids fiercely in an attempt to make the pain disappear. Unfortunately, now that the sense that she relied most on was gone, she was not able to see the tree root. Her pink shoes caught inside the vine and she fell onto her face. "Owe!"

"Kari!"

She opened her eyes and saw her older brother running over to her. His digimon partner was following loyally behind him. "Tai," Kari shouted, "Go on with out me!"

Taichi gasped at his younger sister's request. "I'm not leaving you!" He knelt down beside her and dislodged her foot, "What would I tell Mom? She'd kill me." He helped her onto her feet, but a loud sound exploded behind them. Hikari spun around with her eyes wide open. "Oh no! They're here!"

The three beings remained perfectly still as a figure stepped out of the trees. He wore a pair of thick boots and camouflage pants. At his left side hung a metal sword while on his right side was a large metal gun. He had two metal gauntlets on his each hand and his left eye was covered by a round red jewel. He stared at Hikari and his red eye began to glow. "Hikari Yagami." He turned to look at Taichi. "Taichi Yagami." He then looked at the small digimon. "Agumon." He grinned. "Excellent."

"Who are you?" Taichi demanded.

"You may refer to me as Lord Sentry," he responded, "For as long as you are alive, that is." He held up his left hand and aimed a wrist based energy projectile at Hikari. "Ladies first."

"Kari, look out!" her brother shouted, using the name that she would allow only him to call her. He fell on top of her, using his body to shield her. Over Taichi's shoulders, she could see the towering figure of the Digital Hunter. She closed her eyes, awaiting the final scream from her brother's lips, but a different voice screamed out. She opened her eyes again and saw that Agumon had sacrificed himself to save the siblings.

Taichi stared with horror as his partner's body began to spasm with white electricity. The small dinosaur looked over his shoulder, "This…is…the last thing I can do for you. Goodbye…my friend…" His body exploded from the inside out, dissipating the digital particles to the wind.

Hikari placed her hand over her mouth. "No! First Tailmon, then Agumon….Oh no."

Lord Sentry shrugged and pointed his writs laser back at the brown-haired girl. "Now, where was I?"

"Pummel Whack!"

The two Yagami siblings stared with shock as a green creature dove out of the trees and began to attack the Digital Hunter. "Ogremon?!"

"Get out of here!" the green digimon ordered, "I'll hold him off."

Taichi grabbed his sister's hand and began to pull her away. "Come on, Kari."

"But Taichi," she protested, "We just can't leave him."

The older boy glanced to where Ogremon was battling against Lord Sentry. "He wants to help us. We've got to run, or we're going to die!"

"But Taichi…"

He yanked her even harder. "We've got to run, now!"

Hikari reluctantly followed as they ran out of the forest.

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Koushiro reluctantly entered the room as the soldier behind him jabbed a large rifle into his back. Inside was a group of more soldiers positioned around the walls, guarding a small table where some else sat, a young woman with short blond hair who had an open manila folder in front of her. When she saw Koushiro, she mentioned to the seat across from her. He sat down.

The woman stared at him. "I am Recorder, the file master for the Digital Hunters. I'm in charge of processing ever Chosen Child that comes my way. Now, why don't we start, what's your name?"

Koushiro kept silent.

Recorder looked up at him. "What is your name?"

No answer.

She sighed. "Look, you can make this easy on yourself or not. We already know your name, Izumi Koushiro."

"If you already know my name, why did you ask me?"

"Because, I thought that maybe you would be willing to cooperate and tell me where the rest of your group is, along with your leader, Taichi Yagami?"

_"Taichi's still safe?"_ Koushiro thought, "_Then, maybe we'll still make it out of this alive__.__"_

Recorder sighed. "So, you don't want to cooperate, huh? Have it your way." She mentioned to the guards by the door. "Take him away."

They grabbed Koushiro by the arms and pulled him through the door. A second later two new soldiers appeared, pushing a purple-haired girl into the chair. "Stop!" she shouted, "I can walk myself you know!"

Recorder looked up at this girl. "What is your name?"

"Inoe Miyako, not like it's any of your business!"

The blond woman nodded. "I see. Tell me, where do you think that Taichi Yagami would go if he was trapped in the Digital World?"

"How should I know?" she snapped back, "I'm not his babysitter!"

She sighed. This was going to be harder then she thought. "So, you have no idea?"

"No! He could be anywhere! The Koromon Village, File Island, Gennai's house…" Her anger melted away as she stared around the room, "Whoops."

Recorder smiled. "Take her away."

The two guards grabbed her and dragged her to the door. "No, wait! I was only kidding, yeah! He wouldn't go there, no!" Her voice disappeared as the door closed. Recorder grabbed a small communicator. "Operator?"

Another woman's voice responded, "Operator here."

"This is Recorder, inform Lord Sentry that I have some locations he might want to explore."

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The two siblings eventually made it to their original destination: the undersea house of Gennai. They were surprised to see that only a few of the group that had entered the Digital World with them were there: Sora Takenouchi, Yamato Ishida, Takeru Takashi, Daisuke Motomiya, Noriko Kawada and Ken Ichijoji. "What happened to the others?" Hikari asked, "Where's Miyako?"

"And Koushiro?" Taichi asked. He marched over to Daisuke, "You were with them, what happened?"

Daisuke turned away from his mentor's questioning gaze, "They didn't….make it."

"What?" Taichi gasped, "They're…dead…?"

"No!" Daisuke said with a slight smile, "No, they were just…captured."

"Yeah," Yamato said, "They're probably half way to one of those 'relocation' camps by now."

"This is just great!" Taichi shouted, "Our digimon are all dead, and now we're separated!"

The others all looked to the ground with depressed expressions on their face. "Sorry," Taichi said, "I didn't mean to…"

"No, it's okay," Sora forced herself to say, "We're going to have to accept it, Piyomon is…" She started crying slightly.

Taichi slammed his fist into the wall. "We've got to do something! We can't let them get away with this!"

"Now, now," Gennai said, "I understand that you are upset about the loss of your partners, but for now, I suggest you rest."

"Are you crazy?" Daisuke shouted, "They're probably closing in on us right now!"

"It might take them some time to find us," Gennai said with a smile, "I've erected an invisible barrier to protect us. The guest rooms have already been made, now please, you need to rest."

"I think he's right," Ken said, "We're in no position to do anything right now. After escaping from them, we're too tired to barely keep our eyes open."

Taichi sighed. "All right."

Gennai smiled reassuringly and mentioned to the group of Floramon that gathered near the hallway. The Floramon that appeared to be the leader bowed. "Please follow me to your rooms."

The Chosen Children reluctantly obeyed. After they had left, Gennai walked over to his small computer and logged on. A darkened image of a dragon appeared. "What is it, Gennai?"

"Lord Qinglongmon, we have a major problem."

"Yes, I know," the Holy Beast answered, "I have felt it. The Chosen Children's digimon partners have been killed, and the Children's powers stolen,"

"What are we going to do?" he asked.

"How many of the children are with you?"

"Eight, why?"

"Bring them to my temple. All with be revealed."

"As you wish."

The next morning, the Chosen Children that had not been captured where following Gennai as he led them up a mountain path covered by a thick forest. Taichi did not like the idea of wandering in the open without any sort of protection, but Gennai kept assuring them that once they reached their destination, everything would be all right.

He decided to take up the rear, so he could keep an eye on everyone else. Unfortunately, this gave him a view of Matt and Sora, walking hand-in-hand. He still could remember the day when he found out they had started dating; it struck him a major blow that he still was not over. Every time he saw them together, it took everything that he had to keep himself from charging over and ripping them apart.

He shook his head and turned away. He could not let his emotions interfere now. He had to find a way to rescue Koushiro and the others, before those Digital Hunters hurt any more Chosen Children.

After what seemed like days, Gennai finally stopped his trek up the mountain path. He opened his hand and mentioned to a large building hidden behind the trees. "May I present the temple of Qinglongmon."

The small group of Chosen Children had to strain their heads backwards in order to see the very top of the colossus structure. The temple contained stone carvings of angels and heavenly creatures around the top and the base. A elegantly decorated staircase rose off the ground slightly to twin doors decorated with more angels. "Wow," Noriko said, "This place must be really important."

"Yes, it is," Gennai said, "Come, follow me inside."

The Chosen Children followed him up the stairs and through the massive double doors. The inside was shaped like a cathedral, with a stone altar at the far end, illuminated by light streaming through stain glass windows. Gennai stopped in front of the altar.

"Okay," Daisuke said, "What's going on? Why are we here?"

"Qinglongmon has a way to aid you, but unfortunately, due to Belial Vamdemon's rampage across the Digital World, Qinglongmon can't appear here at this time. There is too much evil present."

"So then what was the point of coming here?" Yamato asked.

"Qinglongmon _can_ help you," Gennai clarified, "But in order to communicate with him, one of you must be chosen as his new priest."

"What?!" the eight Chosen Children gasped.

"What are you talking about?" Takeru asked.

"Yeah, how can one of us become a priest to a Digital God?" Ken questioned.

"Anyone can become a priest," Gennai said, "All it requires is becoming an intermediary between this world and the world of the Gods." He could see that they were still nervous and wary. "If you want to save the other Chosen Children, you must do this."

Sora looked at the teenagers standing with her. "Who would even be able to do it?"

The room was silent until Hikari stepped forward. "I'll do it."

"Kari?" Taichi asked.

The brown-haired girl turned to face the others. "You know that I've always had strange powers, I'm probably the best one to do it."

"No way," Takeru said, "We don't know what becoming his priest will really require."

"I've got to agree with him," Daisuke added, "I don't want you to get hurt."

Hikari sighed. "I'm the best choice, and you know it. We have to help our friends."

Noriko stepped forward and smiled. "I believe in you."

She returned the smile, but turned to the person whose permission she was actually waiting for. "Oniichan?"

Taichi sighed deeply. "I don't like the idea at all, but if you really think you can do it, then I believe in you." He smiled, "Go for it."

She ran over to hug him warmly. "Thanks, Taichi." She twirled around and marched towards Gennai. "What do I have to do?"

The older man gently grabbed a hold of her hand and led her over to behind the altar, where a small glowing sphere was resting. "Place your hands on this Digi-core, and you will understand."

Hikari nodded. She took a deep breath, then firmly gripped the glowing sphere. The world exploded in bright light.

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The Floramon tried not to scream as she stared at the sinister face of the human who was squeezing her throat. "Now," the human said, "Let's try this again. Where are the Chosen Children?"

The Floramon struggled to speak. "I…would…never…tell…you…."

The Digital Hunter growled and squeezed even tighter. "Where are they?"

"Easy, Nimrod," another voice said.

The human turned towards a group of other Digital Hunters, who were standing at the shore line of the pink lake, and the remains of Gennai's house. "What was that, Orion?"

"I said to be easy with her," the other Digital Hunter replied, "You'll never be able to find out anything if you kill her."

Nimrod glared at him, "You think you can order me around?!"

"Both of you, quiet!" Lord Sentry shouted. He walked over to the Floramon being held by the Digital Hunter Nimrod. "Now, we know that the Chosen Children were here, and we know that you know where they are. Look around you at the destruction that we did. We killed the rest of your friends. If you tell us, we'll spare your life."

She stared at the leader of the Digital Hunters with surprising strength. "All of my friends are dead, why should I stay alive?"

Lord Sentry growled in anger. He was going to try with more intimidating strength when Orion called out to him. "Sir, I just received a transmission from Operator, one of our remote scanners located them. We know where they are."

Lord Sentry turned to the Floramon. "Guess what, we don't need you anymore. Nimrod, do what you want with her."

Nimrod stared at her, and then shrugged. "Eh, leave before I change my mind." He threw her into the air; then clenched his fist, which caused a small launcher on his wrist to fire, sending a blast of energy through the Floramon's back, deleting her instantly. He grinned. "I changed my mind. Ha!"

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_Hikari__ blinked a few times and she found herself floating amongst the clouds__.___

_ "W__.__.__where__ am I?"_

_ "Welcome, Hikari Kamiya__.__"_

_ She glanced up and saw the colossal, yet comforting, figure of the Digital God of the Eastern Continent__.__ "Qinglongmon!" she gasped__.___

_ The dragon god smiled warmly__.__ "I always had a sneaking suspicion that you would become my priestess__.__"_

_ "W__.__.__what__ do I have to do?" she asked__.___

_ "That will come in time," he said, "Our first order of business is to arm your friends so that you will be able to protect the other __Chosen__ Children that have not yet been targeted__.__"_

_ "How?"_

_ "Inside of my temple are seven globes, similar to the Armors that once allowed your digimon to armor digivolve__.__"_

_ Hikari looked to the ground, saddened__.__ "But, Tailmon is…"_

_ "Yes, I know," he interrupted, "These globes will give armor to the seven others in your group__.__ Seven armors to correspond to the seven constellations in my section of the celestial sphere__.__ These armors will give your friends some…interesting abilities__.__ You will find them in the altar below__.__ Look for an image of a sun surrounded by seven stars__.__ Press the sun seven times in quick succession"_

_ Hikari nodded__.__ "Yes, I understand__.__"_

_ Qinglongmon nodded__.__ "You must hurry, those that are hunting you are coming to the temple__.__"_

_ "Yes, I understand__.__ Thank you__.__"_

She felt herself return to her body, and the waiting questions of the others. "Kari!" Taichi shouted, "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, but I'll explain later. Qinglongmon said that the Digital Hunters are coming closer." She began to search around the altar until she found the sun surrounded by seven stars. She followed Qinglongmon's instructions and pressed the sun seven times and the top of the altar popped open, like a latch being undone. She mentioned to the others. "Help me lift this up."

The seven other Chosen Children stepped around the alter lid and lifted to expose seven spheres resting inside. Hikari turned to the others. "You're going to have to trust me."

Outside the temple of Qinglongmon, the Digital Hunters stood facing the impressive building. "They're inside of there?" Nimrod asked.

Orion nodded. "One of our spies saw them enter this building."

Lord Sentry stepped forward. "Attention, Chosen Children! We are the Digital Hunters, and we have found you. Come out now, and I promise we will go easy on you."

There was no reply from the temple. Lord Sentry sighed angrily. "I am growing impatient! My offer only stands for the next five seconds, and then we come in after you!"

Still, only silence.

"Very well. Five seconds, starting…now! Five….four….three…two…one!"

The twin doors of the temple were flung open as seven fully armored figures jumped out, each in a different color: orange, red, blue, gold, yellow, black, and green. Although the armor covered every inch of the person's body, it was obvious that orange, blue, yellow, gold and green were male, while red and black were female.

The three Digital Hunters stared in shock at the new fighters standing defiantly before them. "And who are you?"

Orange stepped forward. "Oh, I'm sure you remember us."

Lord Sentry raised his eyebrow. "Yagami?"

"That's right," he said, "You thought you could hunt us down and use terror to defeat us, but look who's holding the cards now!"

Orion chuckled. "According to my sensors, you have the power level of a Child digimon."

Lord Sentry laughed and mentioned to himself, "How do you honestly think you can stand against me? I'm sure you remember how easily Wargreymon failed before me."

Taichi started to clench his armored fists tightly. "Yeah, I remember."

"What are you getting so angry for?" Lord Sentry asked, "Agumon was nothing but a bunch of misused data."

"Digimon are more then data!" the red armor shouted, "If you had one you'd understand!"

"Sora's right," the blue armor replied, "_You_ invaded this world, and we're sending you back!"

The armored Chosen Children lined up and called out their names in succession.

Orange: "Yagami!"

Red: "Takenouchi!"

Blue: "Ishida!"

Gold: "Motomiya!"

Yellow: "Takashi!"

Black: "Kawada!"

Green: "Ichijoji!"

Nimrod began to laugh. "You sound like a group of cheerleaders! Come on, I'll take all you on!" He charged forward, swinging a blade out of his wrist gauntlets. He ran towards Taichi and swung his blade across Yagami's chest, but the armored chosen child latched his foot behind Nimrod's ankle and kicked it out from underneath. The Digital Hunter stumbled backwards and Yamato slammed both of his fists into Nimrod's stomach, sending him into the ground. Sora ran over and brought her fist into the Hunter's face. Nimrod swung his legs around, knocking the three armored Chosen Children into the ground.

"Ha!" he laughed, "You're nothing compared to me! Ha ha ha!" He was too busy gloating over the three fallen armored teenagers, that he did not see Takeru and Daisuke charging at him from behind. The two armored Chosen Children slammed their feet into Nimrod, throwing him forward. He spun around to continue his attack, but Ken charged up behind him and brought both of his fists into the Digital Hunter's back. Noriko attacked by swinging around her foot and smashing it into Nimrod's face.

Taichi and the others jumped back on their feet and stood in a straight line. "All right. Now, attack at once!"

Each armored Chosen Child fired a blast of energy; much like a digimon would, straight at the stumbling Digital Hunter. Nimrod was thrown backwards, landing in front of the two remaining Digital Hunters. Lord Sentry grabbed Orion by the neck and squeezed tightly. "You said they had the strength of a Child!"

"They…they…do…" Orion groaned.

Lord Sentry threw him into the ground. "Let's get out of here before they increase in strength!" He grabbed Nimrod and spun to leave, but paused. He looked over his shoulder straight at the Chosen Children, "This isn't over, not by a long shot." The Digital Hunters ran down the mountain and disappeared in the underbrush.

"You guys did it!" Hikari shouted, running out of the temple, "You guys were amazing!"

"Thanks, Hikari," Daisuke grinned, "I know I was pretty good."

"I hate to interrupt," Ken said, "But the Digital Hunters know where this temple is, I think we should get to another location, and fast."

"He's right," Taichi said, "Come on, we'd better get out of here." He turned to look at the older man that was walking out of the temple, "What about you, Gennai?"

"Don't worry about me," he grinned, "I'm very resourceful. This old man would just slow you down; you'd make better time on your own."

"But where should we go?" Noriko asked.

"There is a Koromon village in the woods below," Gennai said, "You should be able to hide there for the time being."

"Thank you for everything," Hikari said.

"Come on," Taichi said, "We'd better hurry."

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It's funny how quickly life can change, isn't it? One moment you could be lying in your big comfy bed in your safe happy home, choosing Universities to apply to, and planning your weekend trip with your friends, and the next moment be running for your lives, with everyone, even your friends and family turned against you. No, that's not entirely true. Sometimes you have an older brother who stands by you no matter what, who will hug you and tell you that everything will be all right, even though your far too old to believe it. Suddenly, your picture perfect world became much darker.

We now have a large task ahead of us, one that's going to be difficult and dangerous. However, each and every Chosen Child on Earth is counting on us. I can only hope that we can convince the Earth that Chosen Children and regular humans can live in peace with one another. I shuddered at what the world will become if we can't.

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Author's note: All right, so what do you think? Remember, it's only the prologue, the rest of the story will have a plot that's much more involved and deep, but hey, if I'm writing it, the plot can't be simple, huh? So I hope you continue to read this tale.

Also, if you've looked at Lord Archive's fanfic page, you know what this tale will be about, so if anyone has any ideas for evolution lines for the Chosen Children, please, let me know. Thanks.


	2. Chapter I: The Masters of Courage

            Sometimes events happen that are beyond our control. Tragedies that cannot be avoided, despite our best attempts: car crashes, fires, gun wounds. Even if these acts are done purposely, with the horrendous intent to harm, it is still a tragedy. When confronted with these acts, certain people often rise above to become heroes. What many of these people have done is truly heroic and memorable, but only a select few are true heroes, born to save and protect. My older brother may only be eighteen, but I can't think of a better or nobler person.  We are being hunted, but I know that as long as he is around, we will overcome and triumph.  I cannot think of a better person or hero. Well, with the possible exception of Daisuke.

I may have known my brother much longer then Daisuke, but I really know the type of person he is. Whenever we were in trouble, whenever everyone and I hate to admit it, including me, Davis would never admit defeat. He would always find a way to win, to break through, and to overcome his own fears. He was the only who was not affected by Belial Vamdemon's illusions. Even if I ignore my own, personal feelings for him, I still see him the same way, as a hero.

Daisuke and Taichi are heroes in every sense of the word. Sometimes, they even amaze me.

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_The __Chosen__ Warriors:_

_Chapter I:_

_The Masters of Courage_

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------_

            When Hikari opened her eyes, she hoped that the events of yesterday had been just a dream, just a simple trick made by her mind during the night. However, when she realized that she was indeed sleeping in a cot, staring up at a simple wooden ceiling, she knew that it was far from a dream. She sighed and lightly shook the body lying next to her. "Noriko…Noriko."

            The short haired girl yawned loudly as she opened her own eyes. "Morning already?"

            "Yeah," the brown haired girl sighed slightly, "Let's go and see if there's anything for breakfast."

            Noriko mentioned to a third cot pressed up against the wall. "Where's Sora?"

            Hikari frowned. "My best guess would be that she snuck out in the middle of the night to be with Yamato."

            "Oh," the other girl said. They walked out of the tent and into the Koromon village. Noriko could not help but giggle at the sight of the small orange ball-type digimon bouncing and scurrying around in front of them. "They're so cute!"

            Hikari smiled at her friend. "I keep forgetting that you really haven't seen as many digimon as we have."

            Noriko nodded and her smile faded. "Yeah, Snow Agumon and I spent a lot of time on Earth. We never really traveled into the Digital World."

            Hikari frowned. Noriko's mention of her dead digimon partner brought images of Tailmon to her mind. The pain ripped through her heart, but she fought back the tears. Now was not the time to cry, she needed to be strong. Just like her brother.

            The two girls arrived at a large circular hut in the center of the two. Upon entering, they found that the other Chosen Children were already sitting around a large wooden table, filled with a variety of food that the girls thought were not only exotic but delicious. The Agumon who was the leader of the village was seated at the front of the table, with Taichi and Daisuke on either side of him. He rose and bowed. "Priestess of Qinglongmon, welcome."

            Hikari blushed slightly "Thank you."

            The Agumon mentioned to the table. "Please, sit."

            She saw that there was an open seat next to Taichi, so she sat next to her brother, while Noriko scooted next to Daisuke. Agumon mentioned to the food on the table. "Please, enjoy."

The Chosen Children began to eat. "Thank you very much for your hospitality," Hikari said.

            "It must be really dangerous to even associate with us, huh?" Daisuke asked, grabbing a banana from a bowl of fruit in the center.

            Agumon smiled. "It is no problem."

            "But aren't you worried about the Digital Hunters?" Taichi asked, "They've only targeted us so far, but how long before they hunt down digimon?"

            "They all ready have."

            "What?" Yamato gasped.

            "What are you talking about?" Sora asked.

            The Agumon sighed. "We have heard reports of a group of humans capturing and experimenting on digimon."

            "So," Takeru said, "They're hunting you too."

            "Yes, they are," the Agumon answered, "But, we choose not to live our lives in fear. Besides, you are the Chosen Children. You have saved this world many times, I'm sure you'll do it again."

            Taichi crossed his arms. "Yeah, well it's not exactly gonna be easy."

             "Ya' know what I think?" Daisuke asked, "I think the only reason the Digital Hunters were able to hunt us down is because everyone else on earth is letting them. I mean, everyone thinks we're the enemy, because they don't understand what it's like to be a Chosen Child."__

            "Probably," Takeru said, "But what do you suggest we do about it? Wish for everyone to have a digimon partner?"

            Hikari gasped. "That's it!"

            "What's it?" Taichi asked his sister.

            She stood up and made sure that she could see each of her friends seated around the table. "When I was in Qinglongmon's Temple, I read an inscription on the stone walls, an inscription that said that the Priestess of Qinglongmon could read from a special book and be able to do anything! I could make every person on Earth has a digimon partner!"

            The others were in silent shock. Finally, Taichi found his voice. "Hikari, I don't know…"

            "Come on, Oniichan!" she pleaded, "I just _know_ that if everyone could experience the same feelings, the same joy, that we all feel.." She stopped and corrected herself, "..that we all _felt_ from having a digimon partner…"

            "I don't think that's a bad idea," Ken said. He hesitated, then continued, "I think that part of the reason that I became the Digimon Kaiser, was because I ignored the connection I felt between Wormmon and myself. It wasn't until I really, _truly_ remembered how it felt, that I remembered who I really was."

            "It might be nice too," Sora said, "Not having to sneak around, hide who we are."

            "Yeah," Yamato added, "And if the Chosen were the majority…."

            "I'm not disputing it's a good idea," Taichi interrupted, "But I'm not agreeing to anything until I know what its going to do to my sister."

            "Hikari," Takeru said, "You said you read this at the temple?"

            She nodded. "Yeah."

            "Well, why don't we just go back there to read the inscription? Maybe we can find out more?"

            "That's a good idea," Taichi said, "We'll head up there after breakfast."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

            Lord Sentry walked through the halls of one of the Digital Hunter's bases, nodding and giving a quick salute to every soldier he passed by. While he could be an inspirational commander, rallying his troops in the mission of the destruction of the Chosen Children, he was normally an unemotional person, except for anger, which he could display all too well. The Digital Hunters had come to know their leader had two personas: anger and indifference. Neither was particularly pleasurable, so they tried not to speak to him unless necessary. Which was fine to him, he enjoyed the solitude. He never use to be this way, however, he always use to love being the center of attention, simply interacting with other people. That was before.

            He could still hear the screams, the screams of the drowning, the dying. He closed his eyes and he could still see the towering dark figure of the sea creature. This oceanic beast swung his white tentacle into the side of the boat. Lord Sentry and the other passengers ran to the other end of the boat to save themselves. They thought for sure that their lives were over, when the sea monster stopped his assault. He turned his attention to two more monsters like himself: one was flying, like an angle, but the other was a large sea mammal with white fur, swimming towards them. The passengers on the boat watched in awe as the sea mammal changed and transformed into a large creature with a spiked shell. This spiked creature slammed his head into the first creature's stomach, causing him to fall into the water. This created a massive wave that slammed into the large boat, capsizing it, everything from the beautiful ceremony, the gorgeous flowers and beautiful cake was destroyed. Lord Sentry reached for the hand of the woman next to his, but it slipped in the torrent. When he finally broke through the surface of the water, the battle had ended. He swam to the shore of the lake with the other survivors. He tried to look for the woman, but when he found her, lying unmoving under the paramedics' white sheet, he knew that he had changed forever. He had changed during that wedding ceremony that was destroyed by Angemon and Zudomon of the Chosen Children during their battle with Marine Devimon. That sea creature would have never appeared on Earth, seeking the mysterious Dark Spore if the Chosen Children did not exist. It was _their_ fault that Marine Devimon attacked his friends and family on his wedding day, however, everyone was able to survive, everyone expect his bride, his wife of all but five minutes had drowned. He survived, he survived, and he would make sure that what happened to him would not happen to anyone else.

            "Lord Sentry!"

            He was brought out of his memory at the sound of his title being called. He saw Orion and a young woman with long red hair walking towards him. "Orion, Operator," he bowed.

            "Sir," she responded.

            "Sir," Orion said, "I think I may have an idea for finding out where the Chosen Children are."

            "How?"

            "I've looked over all our research and I can't find anything that even remotely resembles the Chosen Children transforming into armor. I bet that they got that power in the temple."

            Lord Sentry nodded. "Seems very reasonable."

            "I think it might be a good idea to check out that place."

            "Good idea. Keep me informed."

            He nodded. "Yes sir."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

            The Chosen Children cautiously opened the double doors to Qinglongmon's temple. "Gennai?" Taichi called, his voice echoing in the temple halls, "Gennai, are you here?" He waiting for a reply but none came. "I guess he left. Come on."

            The seven other children followed him into the cathedral-style hall. "Well, Hikari," Daisuke said, "Show us that writing."

            The brown-haired girl nodded. "Sure, I think it was over here." She led them to the wall behind the altar. "It was down here." They knelt down and could clearly see that one of the large stone cubes that made the wall had lines of writing on it.

            "This is it?" Yamato asked.

            Hikari nodded. "Yeah."

            Takeru lightly rubbed his chin as he read the lines. "Read and know this, Priestess of Qinglongmon, to make your wishes come true, seek out the Digital Codex and gather the Celestial Warriors of Qinglongmon in the temple of Huanglongmon and read from the holy book. Your greatest desires will be realized."

            "That doesn't seem so bad," Sora said, "She just has to read from that book."

            Taichi hesitated. "I don't know.."

            "Please, Oniichan?" Hikari asked, placing her hands together, "Please?"

            Taichi sighed. "Okay."

            She grinned and hugged him. "Thanks, Taichi."

            "Of course," Ken said, "That brings us to another problem, where is the Digital Codex?"

            "Maybe we should just look around this temple some more?" Daisuke said, "I mean, something's gotta be here, right?"

            "Maybe we should look in the altar first," Noriko said, "That's where we found our armors and we really didn't get a chance to look the last time."

            "That's a good idea," Takeru smiled. Together, the seven warriors lifted the thick marble lid of the altar. Inside they could see the seven circles where their armors once sat. The last time they had to take them quickly as the Digital Hunters were directly outside, so they did not see the rolled strip of paper lying in its one slot. Hikari grabbed it and opened it.

            "What does it say?" Sora asked.

            Hikari's face broke into a grin. "This is it! This tells us  what we want to know!"

            "Well, read it," Taichi said.

            The brown-haired girl cleared her throat. "Read and know this, Priestess of Qinglongmon, to make your wishes come true, seek out the Digital Codex and gather the Celestial Warriors of Qinglongmon in the temple of Huanglongmon and read from the holy book. Your greatest desires will be realized…"

            "But we already heard this part," Daisuke said. Taichi stared at him, and he was instantly silent.

            Hikari continued. "To locate the Digital Codex, journey to the Mountains of Gold, and seek out the stone goddess that watches over the land. The power of the sun and the moon shall light the way. In order to enter the temple of Huanglongmon, you must gather the Digital Cores of the four Holy Beasts: Zhuqioamon, Baihumon, Xuwanamon, and Qinglongmon, as well as well as a key that is hidden in each of the four areas. The protective seal around Huanglongmon's temple will vanish, allowing you to enter….Well, the rest just tells us about the Holy Beasts and the locations of the key temples."

            "I thought we were _in_ Qinglongmon's temple," Yamato said.

            "Well, this is _my_ temple, the main temple, that belongs to the Priestess of Qinglongmon. There should be another temple in this area that has one of the keys to Huanglongmon."

            "That seems really easy," Ken frowned.

            "It doesn't matter," Taichi said, "If that's what we have to do, then that's what we're going to do. If Hikari wants to wish that everyone on earth has a digimon partner, then I'll do everything I can to help her." He shook his head, "I really can't order the rest of you to do this, but…"

            "I'm with you," Daisuke said.

            "Sora and I are in," Yamato said.

            "Don't forget about me," Takeru added.

            "And me," Noriko said.

            "Me too," Ken nodded.

            "Great," Taichi smiled, "Where should we start first?"

            Hikari looked at the scroll in her hands. "Well, we're currently in Qinglongmon's section of the Digital World, so maybe we should activate those temples before trying to get the Digital Cores from the other Holy Beasts."

            "Sounds good for me," Taichi nodded. "Okay, let's head out."

             They walked out of the double doors and stopped short. They stared in horror at the Digital Hunters, standing at attention. "Oh no," Hikari gasped.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

            Nimrod groaned loudly as he climbed the path up to Qinglongmon's temple. "Why do I have to be stuck on this stupid research assignment? I'm a fighter, not a scientist!"

            The young woman walking alongside him groaned. "I know, I know! You've been saying it since Lord Sentry found us, since basic training, since we got our cybernetic enhancements and since we planned our first attack! I'm getting tired of hearing it!"

            Nimrod glared at her. "Do you have a problem with me, Artemis?"

            "Just your attitude," she glared at him, "You're gonna have to learn that there's more to this then simply fighting! We need to learn about our enemy."

            He gave a small laugh and turned his head back towards the temple. "You can keep your beakers and nerdy textbooks; I'd rather rip an opponent apart and see what's inside."

            The other Digital Hunter shook her head in annoyance before mentioning in front of her. "Here's the temple, I presume?"

            "Yeah, this is it," he frowned, "This is where those Chosen brats defeated me!"

            Artemis started laughing. "A couple of kids beat you? Ha!"

            He glared at her. "Shut up now, or _I'm_ going to shut you up!"

            She continued laughing and he charged towards her. She suddenly stopped and lightly tapped her eyepiece. "I'm reading bio-energy from inside."

            "What?"

            She nodded. "Yeah, eight of them, approximately 14-16 years of age."

            Nimrod grinned. "The Chosen Children. Excellent."

            Artemis mentioned to the trees surrounding the temple. "We should hide and ambush them when they come out."

            "Forget it!" Nimrod shouted, "I don't hide and cower!" He grinned, "But, I occasionally learn from my mistakes. We won't tell them we're here, then when they come out, we'll get them!"

            Artemis sighed. "You're going to get yourself killed one of these days, you know?"

            He just smirked. He heard the door creak and he grinned. "Here they come." He stared straight forward as the doors opened and the Chosen Children appeared. "Hello."

            "Oh no," Hikari gasped. Taichi instantly stepped in front of her.

"What do you want?" Daisuke asked.

            Nimrod grinned. "Guess."

            He sighed. "All right, stupid question, but we're not going down without a fight."

            Nimrod crossed his arms. "You might have beaten me last time, but I've got reinforcements." He mentioned to Artemis. "She might be more of an nerd, but I'm sure she can kick your butts."

            Daisuke frowned. "Hey, was that a…?"

            "Quiet!" Taichi ordered. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small sphere. "Ready?"

            The others held up their own spheres. Taichi grinned. "Great. Evolve!" The orange sphere that he held in his hand exploded, covering his body with a red armor. The other Chosen Children were soon covered by their own armor, each in their own color: Daisuke in gold, Yamato in blue, Sora in red, Takeru in yellow, Noriko in black, and Ken in green. Taichi, Yamato, and Sora ran to fight Nimrod, while Daisuke, Ken, Takeru and Noriko fought Artemis.

Unfortunately, they did not last long. Nimrod made his wrist-based blades shoot out from his metal gauntlets. Taichi tried to punch him in the stomach, but he twisted around, making Yagami fall off balance. Yamato attempted to attack him from behind, but Nimrod spun around, slicing Yamato's stomach.

            "Yamato!" Sora shouted, running to his aide. This left her wide open for an attack by Nimrod's wrist launcher. Both armors glowed brightly, then vanished, leaving Yamato and Sora as they were before.

            "Yamato!" Takeru shouted, "Are you okay?"

            "You should worry about yourself," Artemis laughed. She used one of her daggers to slash his stomach, just as Nimrod did to Yamato. Noriko and Ken ran to his aide, but they were quickly disposed of as well. All three glowed the colors of their armor, then returned to their normal selves.

            "What happened?" Hikari gasped.

            "Best guess," Ken said, struggling to stand, "Our bodies aren't used to this kind of stress. We did it yesterday, but we must still be recovering. We need to get use to it before we have enough energy to keep doing it."

            "Just like our digimon," Takeru said.

            "And now only Taichi and Daisuke are left," Sora said, "Why only them?"

            Taichi ducked to avoid having his head cut off by Nimrod's blade. "Who cares? Look, just get out of here!"

            "What?" Takeru gasped.

            "Run, get out!"

            "But we can't leave you!" Hikari shouted.

            "Go!" Taichi shouted, "You can't fight, Daisuke and I are the only ones who can! Run!"

            "Taichi's right," Daisuke said, "Go! We'll handle these guys ourselves!"

            "I'm not leaving you!" Hikari shouted.

            "Get her out of here, Yamato!" Taichi shouted, ducking another punch from Nimrod, "Now!"

            Yamato nodded, lightly placing his hands on Hikari's shoulder. "Come on."

            She glared at him. "I'm _not_ leaving my brother!"

            "Hikari, please!" Taichi shouted, dodging attacks from Nimrod.

            "Just go," Daisuke said, dropping to the ground to avoid Artemis's attack, "Please!"

            Taichi turned to give his sister another order, but this left his back wide open for Nimrod. The Digital Hunter took his chance and punched the back of Taichi's head with all his might. He stumbled forward, and fall onto the ground.

            "Taichi!" Hikari screamed.

            "Taichi," Daisuke shouted, "Get up!" Once again, he did not watch his own battle, and Artemis was able to execute a roundhouse, sending her foot into Daisuke's face and he was thrown to the ground as well.

            "Oh no, Daisuke!" Ken shouted.

            "Daisuke, Taichi," Hikari shouted, almost sobbing, "Get up, please!"

            "It's no use shouting," Nimrod chuckled, walking over and towering over the fallen Taichi, "They'll both be dead soon."

            "No!" Hikari shouted, "Taichi, Daisuke! Get up, GET UP!"

            Suddenly, both Taichi and Daisuke's armored body began to glow in the same manner as the other's. However, their armor did not fade and vanish as the others did, but something else entirely. The armor began to crack and it soon completely shattered. In place of the fallen Taichi and Daisuke _stood_ two new but familiar figures. They stared at one another in shock.

            "Taichi, is that you?"

            He nodded. "Yeah. What just happened, and what am I wearing?" He looked down at his body, which no longer had armor covering it, but an orange gi.

            "What about me?" Daisuke asked, mentioning to his outfit of blue short, stripped short sleeve shirt and a red bandana in his hair. He was no holding a long metal blade, which he held by means of a handle in the center.

            "You look like a character in a video game I played," Taichi said. Suddenly, realization dawned on his face, "Holy crap!" He looked down at himself again, "I don't believe this!"

            "What?"

            "You're Serge from _Chrono__ Cross,_ and I'm Goku from _Dragonball__ Z!"_ He grinned as he looked himself over, "I don't believe it, I'm really Goku! This is pretty cool!"

            "Just because you turned into him doesn't mean anything!" Daisuke said. He held up his two-sided sword, "I think I can do a lot of damage with this."

            Taichi had intended to give another reply, but could not as Nimrod came running at him with his sword blades out. Taichi jumped to the side to avoid the attack. "Hey!"

            "You turned your back on me, remember?" Nimrod grinned, "And I don't take time outs!"

            Daisuke turned to stare at Artemis. The Digital Hunter shrugged. "I don't either, but I'm not as rude as him." She pointed her long daggers at him, "If you're ready to continue."

            He grinned as he held out his long blade, "Sure, why not?"

            The female Digital Hunter charged at him, swinging her daggers at his chest. Daisuke swung his new sword in a circle, easily knocking the daggers out of her hands. He stared at the sword in amazement. "Wow, I can use this? Let's see." He began his assault on Artemis by jabbing her in the stomach with the pointed edge of his sword, then slicing downward before spinning around and hitting her with both ends of the sword. The female Digital Hunter stumbled backwards and fell onto the ground.

            Nimrod either did not notice or did not care that Artemis had been defeated. He was too busy fighting Taichi, who now had the power of Goku. The Digital Hunter charged at Taichi with his sword blades extended. The Chosen Warrior's agility had been greatly increased, and he was able to dodge Nimrod's attack with simple ease. He then went on the offensive and assaulted the Digital Hunter with a barrage of punches at lighting speed. Nimrod stumbled backwards. "You're dead, do you hear me?" he screamed, charging at Taichi with his blades out, "I'll rip out your heart and shove it down your dying mouth!"

            Taichi was about to roll out of the way when he remembered one of Goku's abilities. He jumped into the air and hovered over Nimrod's head. "I can fly!" he grinned, "I can fly! I'm really flying! I can't believe it! This is so cool!"

            "You're mocking me!" Nimrod screamed with rage, "Get down here and fight me!"

            "I don't need to go down there," Taichi grinned, "I can take you out from up here." He put both of his hands together, pointing his open palms at the Digital Hunter. A small ball of energy formed in the cup of his hands as Taichi called out a familiar attack, "_Kamehameha__!"_ The ball of energy transformed into a glowing beam that slammed into Nimrod, knocking him into Artemis, and rolling both of them down the mountain. Taichi slowly landed on the ground and landed next to Daisuke. Both of them glowed the color of their armor, then changed back to their normal selves.

            "Taichi!" Hikari cried, running over and hugging him, "You were amazing!" She turned to Daisuke and blushed slightly, "You were pretty amazing too."

            The younger goggle-boy chuckled slightly as he scratched his head. "Heh, heh, yeah."

            "But how did you do that?" Takeru asked.

            "It had to be the armor," Ken said, "I guess it changes you into characters from television shows of video games. Pretty interesting if you ask me."

            "I wonder who I'll become," Yamato asked.

            Daisuke looked at the path of flattened grass and overturned trees that the two Digital Hunters caused by falling down the mountain. "I think we should get out of here before they get back."

            "He's right," Taichi said, "Hikari, got that scroll?"

            She held the rolled-up paper so her brother could see. "Right here."

            The Chosen leader nodded. "Great. Let's get out of here."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

            High above the Digital World, in a holy realm of magic and power, the four guardians watched the events occurring in their world through a large viewing glass. Each of the four Holy Beasts stood in their own area: Zuqioamon to the south, Xuwanamon to the north, Baihumon to the west and Qinglongmon to the east. These last two guardians were opposing each other in another way then simply their own directional areas.

            Baihumon stared at Qinglongmon. "So, now your Chosen Warriors are going to attempt to give a digimon partner to every human on earth?"

            "Yes," the dragon nodded, "What of it?"

            "I can't believe you can be so blind!" the tiger shouted, "Those humans, those 'Digital Hunters," are not the only ones on Earth to believe that way! There are hundreds, nay, _thousands_ of humans who would kill a digimon, worse, a Chosen Child! Humans would hunt down and kill humans because of their connection to the Digital World! How long before the humans invaded the Digital World, and make it their own? How long?"

            "Not everyone believes that," Qinglongmon replied, "My warriors want to find a peaceful solution to this problem. If everyone is a Chosen, then perhaps they would understand."

            "Bah!" the tiger shouted, "I will ask you this only once, will you change your views and order your priestess to abandon her quest?"

            The dragon stared him straight in his eyes. "I will not."

            Baihumon growled. "Very well. Then I will create my _own_ group of warriors, to stand against you." He turned to the giant golden dragon hovering above them. "Great Huanglongmon, God of Gods, do I have your permission?"

            The gold dragon stared down at the other two guardians. "Xuwanamon, Zhuqioamon, do you have any opposition?"

            "Nay, I do not," Xuwanamon said, "I do not believe strongly in either side. I will not interfere."

            Huanglongmon turned to the giant phoenix? "Do you, Zhuqioamon?"

            The bird shook his beak. "No, I do not. I do not wish to get involved with this, but would rather focus on protecting my own section of the Digital World. Let the humans destroy each other."

            "Very well." Huanglongmon said, "Go, create your own team. Qinglongmon, Baihumon, I wish you both success."

            The tiger guardian stared at the dragon before turning around and disappearing into the darkness. Qinglongmon sighed. "_Hikari__, Taichi, Daisuke, Sora, Yamato, Ken, Noriko, your greatest challenge may yet lie ahead. I pray that you will succeed."_

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

            My friends and I have decided on our course of action and we have found the way to do it. It's going to be a long road and hard road ahead of us, but the reward at the end will hopefully be a world where everyone will have a friend, a partner to stand by them forever. I know it's hard, but we can do it. As long as Daisuke, Taichi and the others are with me, I know we'll succeed.


	3. Chapter II: The Love of Friendship

Can you remember your first love? Can you remember the first time you saw this person, and your heart just melted? The longing you felt in your heart, night after night? The agony that you felt just waiting to see that person again? Well, that's how Sora and Matt felt when they saw each other that Christmas Eve. They had known each other for the past three years, but they still fell in love, and now, two years later, they're never more in love. I have to confess, that when I see them together, I wish that it was me and the one that keeps me awake at night.

Of course, my brother did have a crush on Sora since sometime during their first adventure, but he was too afraid to say anything. It was because of this that I was very uncomfortable around both Sora and Matt. Did my loyalty lie with my brother, or my friends? I'm ashamed to say that Sora and I did have quite a few fights, but we're friends again. Mostly because, even though I know that Oniichan isn't completely over her, he was always friends with both of them.

Sora and Matt represent that a Chosen _can_ have a normal relationship. Many of our parents were afraid that being exposed to fighting at such a young age would have repercussions on our lives. I'm glad to see that they were wrong.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Chosen Warriors:

_Chapter II:_

_The Love of Friendship_

------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Chosen Warriors continued their trek across the forest-covered mountains in the eastern region of the Digital World. They had been traveling non-stop since their escape from the temple of Qinglongmon early in the morning. They were quickly running low on their reserves.

Takeru yawned loudly. The others stared at him and he blushed. "Sorry."

"Hey, Taichi," Yamato said, "Takeru's right. We're all really tired, can't we take a break?"

Taichi stopped and the others instantly ceased their movements as well. He hesitated for a few second before turning around with a smile on his face. "I'll do you one better. Let's stop here for the night."

"Works for me!" Daisuke grinned, "Break out the food, I'm starving!"

Ken smiled slightly as he gently placed his backpack down. "Sorry," he said, "All I have is what the Koromons gave us. We should probably get a fire going before it gets really dark."

"I'll go looking," Yamato said, "Coming Sora?"

"Sure," she said, following him into the forest.

"Hey guys!" Taichi shouted, "This isn't a pleasure trip!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Yamato shouted back as he disappeared into the forest.

The remaining Chosen Children instantly began to set up camp. Taichi, Takeru, Hikari and even Daisuke had all ready done this dozens of times before, so they began to make a camp site. Ken was not too sure, so he started rationing the food. Noriko stood off to the side, unsure of what to do. Ken saw this and smiled at her. "Do you want to give me a hand?"

"Um, sure," she said, slowly walking over to him.

"You don't have to be so nervous around us," he said.

"I..I know," she said, meekly, "It's just, I feel so small compared to the rest of you, especially against Taichi and Daisuke. They're so…they're like giants or something. I mean, they're so powerful and heroic. I just don't feel like I'll be able to live up to their reputation."

Ken smiled. "Don't worry, I'm sure that you'll prove yourself every bit a hero like they are."

"Don't sell yourself short," Takeru smiled, walking over, "I mean, think of how far you've come since the Digimon Kaiser."

Ken sighed. "I shouldn't have ever been the Kaiser to begin with. I didn't do anything special."

"No, you're better then you think," Hikari smiled, "Right, Taichi?"

"Yeah, sure," her brother said, dragging a log to complete a large circle. He looked to the trees surrounding them, "Where are Yamato and Sora? This isn't the time for them to be having fun."

Inside of the forest, Yamato and Sora were collecting wood, just as they said, however, at this moment; they had decided to take a small break. Sora's back was pressed up against a tree, with her lips locked on Yamato's mouth. They broke apart and grinned at each other. "We should really get back," Yamato said.

The redhead wrapped her arms around his neck. "In a few minutes," she said, she reached and kissed him, "Who knows when we'll be able to do this again? We're running for our lives, it could be forever before we're even able to get married."

"Sora," Yamato said, "Are you sure you want to worry about that? We're only sixteen."

"I don't care," she said, "I love you too much."

"And I love you too, but…I don't know if marriage is the right thing to be talking about right now."

Sora sighed and pulled away from him. "You're right, you're right. We can't worry about that right now. We'd better be more concerned with whether we actually _live_ until we're older enough, huh?"

Yamato nodded. He reached down and lifted up the firewood. "Come on, the others are waiting."

Sora nodded, and whipped her forehead with the long sleeve of her school sweater. "Man, it's almost night time, and it's so hot. Where are we, anyway?"

Yamato shrugged. "I don't know. Judging from where Qinglongmon's temple was, and how far we probably walked in the last two days, somewhere close to the equator. "

Sora pulled off her green sweater, leaving her in her white school blouse. She wrapped the sweater around her waist. "Aren't you hot with that jacket on?"

Yamato looked at his school uniform. "Not really. I guess I'm quite comfortable."

"Lucky you," she sneered, "I really want to change clothes. This skirt isn't exactly the best thing to be running in."

Yamato grinned. "What, you looked pretty good from behind."

"Hey!" she snapped, her face turning red.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Lord Sentry stared up at the wall of Qinglongmon's temple and recited the text that was written there: _'Read and know this, Priestess of Qinglongmon, to make your wishes come true, seek out the Digital Codex and gather the Celestial Warriors of Qinglongmon in the temple of Huanglongmon and read from the holy book. Your greatest desires will be realized.' _So, that's what they're going to try and do, huh? Summon the God of the Center and ask him to grant their wishes."

"Seems stupid if ya ask me," a female voice said.

Lord Sentry turned around to stare at a young blond woman dressed in a pair of tight jeans, a tight white tank top and she carried two holsters around her waist. "And why do you think so, Tracker?"

"Because," she said, stepping forward, "Ya don' get what'cha want jus' by askin' for it. My mother use ta say that only fools make wishes."

"Well put," Lord Sentry said, "Still, I do believe in wishing, and I am far from being, as you put it, 'poor folk.'" He smiled slightly, "Maybe I am a fool."

"Sir," she said, "I didn' mean…"

"No, it's all right," he said, "Maybe I am foolish for thinking this would be an easy fight."

"Well," Nimrod said, "I don't believe in wishing."

"Why?" Tracker asked.

"All of my prey wished that I wouldn't catch them, but…" He grinned devilishly.

"Lord Sentry," Recorder said, walking up to him with Artemis, "According to our studies, it looks like there were objects hidden _within_ the alter itself. Seven small circles and one large rectangular indentation seem to suggest that something was held there."

"Seven, you say?" Lord Sentry asked, "Seven armored warriors. That can't be a coincidence. I bet they got their power from here."

Recorder nodded. "Yes sir. Also, I believe that there could have been a scroll or small book in the rectangular indentation. Perhaps if we could read that, we'd know more about the Chosen Warriors?"

Lord Sentry nodded. "Very well. Nimrod, I want you to take Tracker and Artemis to locate the Chosen Warriors. I want to know what that scroll says, most likely the Priestess would have it. The one named Hikari."

He grinned. "You got it!"

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Hikari smiled as she looked at her friends seated around the campfire. "Well, this is nice, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Takeru nodded, placing his tin plate onto the ground, "A nice quiet meal in a star-filled sky. Without having to fight some psycho for once."

"Yeah," Sora said, taking a deep breath, "It's so peaceful, too bad it's not going to last."

"Hey, Hikari," Ken asked, "Does that scroll tell us where the first temple with the key is?"

"Probably," she said. She reached into the jacket that she was wearing; it was actually Daisuke's pilot fighter jacket that he wore when he entered the Digital World. When she entered the Digital World, her clothes always transformed into her sleeveless pink and white shirt and yellow shorts, not exactly the warmest outfit. She had been feeling cold, so Daisuke offered her his jacket. She did not refuse it.

She reached inside the pocket and pulled out the scroll, which she then unrolled. "Let's see," she said, "_There are two temples in each area of the Digital World; one temple that contains the scroll of the Digital God, as well as another temple that contains the key to unlock the Temple of the Center, where the God of Gods, Huanglongmon resides. The Key temple in Qinglongmon's area of the Digital World is located under the green of the __Sleeping__Valley__.'_ And there's a map."

"Let me see," Ken said, taking the scroll

"Sleeping Valley?" Sora asked, "Where the heck is that?"

"I don't know," Ken said, "I'm sorry to say, I've never heard of it and that this map is on such a small scale that we need to actually _be_ in the valley before it'll be of any use."

Yamato nodded. "Well, it has to be in Qinglongmon's section, right? I'm sure if we just search around, we'll find it eventually."

"This area is pretty big, you know," Takeru said, "And plus it's covered in mountains and valleys, how are we going to find the right one, especially if it's underground?"

"Ask around?" Noriko asked.

"She's right," Hikari said, "We'll have to try and find the nearest village, and ask if they know anything about it."

"I guess we're going to have to do it that way," Daisuke sighed, "I can think of a hundred ways I'd _rather_ do it."

Taichi nodded. "We'll start tomorrow. For right now, we'd better get some sleep." He stood up, "I'll take first watch, then we'll rotate every two hours, starting with Daisuke, okay?"

"Aw, how come I've got to go first?" he asked.

"Because I said so," the older boy answered, "Get some sleep."

Daisuke grumbled as he lay on the ground. Hikari smiled and laid beside him. "Go night, Daisuke."

He returned the smile. "Good night, Hikari." He closed his eyes, but she continued to stare at his face for a few more seconds before closing her own eyes and drifting to sleep.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

On Earth, the repercussions from the United Nations 'Solution to the Chosen Children Problem," were still flowing across the planet. Japan, Russia, India, Europe, all of the Chosen Children living there had been apprehended and 'relocated' to the Digital Hunters holding centers around the world. So far, the main group of the New York chosen had escaped capture, but, like most of the others, their partners were deleted first, leaving them technically vulnerable.

Michael held his breath as he pressed himself up against the outside of the building in the dark alley. He waited until he saw the middle-aged man walk pass. He breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the young woman adjacent to him that was also pressed up against the outside of the building. "That was close, Mimi. Who knows whether he was a Digital Hunter or not."

"I know," she said, reaching down to lift up a paper bag over filled with items, "We've got to get back."

Michael reached down and lifted up his own paper bag, "Let's go."

The two teenagers ran deeper into the alley until they arrived at a large window resting at ground level on the brick building. They bent down and slowly moved the window aside so they could sneak inside. Once they were through, they slide the window back in place. The two teenagers looked into the basement of the storage building, which had been converted into a make-shift home. There was a small stove, a television set, and a table. A few sleeping bags were lying across the ground. In the back was a closed door. "Guys!" Michael called, "It's us, we're back."

A group of teenagers quickly moved from their hiding places and into the light. "Did you get those videos?" Steve asked.

Mimi sighed. "Steve, we don't have money for that."

He sighed. "Yeah, I know, I know."

"You did get the pizza, right?" Lou asked, looking through the bags.

"Of course," the pink-haired teen giggled slightly.

"Forget the pizza," Wallace said, "What about the bagels?"

"You and your bagels," Michael smiled, "Eh, who am I to talk. Let me taste one."

"No you don't!" Tatum said, "I'm going to make dinner soon." She looked around. "Where's Maria?"

"Sleeping," Sam said, mentioning to the locked door.

"She wasn't feeling well?" Mimi asked.

Sam shrugged. "I don't know, she just said she was tired."

"Maybe I should check on her," the pink-haired teen said, walking towards the door. Michael stopped her.

"Why don't you just let her sleep?"

Mimi hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah, I guess." She smiled, "Well, Tatum, let me help you with dinner."

"Did you run into any Digital Hunters up there?" Steve asked.

"I don't think so," Michael said, "But I don't know."

"This whole thing stinks," Lou sighed, "I bet we wouldn't be having this trouble if the world never knew about Chosen Children and Digimon."

"Yeah," Sam said, "But what can we do about it now?"

"There are still a lot of Chosen that are still safe from the Digital Hunters," Wallace said, "If we could just find a way to help them…"

"I bet if we took all the Chosen Children into the Digital World and sealed it off except for us, the Digital Hunters wouldn't be able to follow us," Steve said.

"Yeah, but how?" Mimi asked, "My friends in Japan and I tried them by giving up our crests, but it didn't work."

"Well, there has to be a way," Michael said, "We just have to find it."

Behind the door was a smaller bedroom completed with a real bed. This was reserved for their youngest member, Maria. She was sleeping soundly when a male voice woke her.

_"Maria…"_

She opened her eyes and looked around the darkened room. "W..who's there?"

_"Maria…"_

"M..Michael?" she shivered, "W..wallace? Lou? Steve?"

_"Maria…"_

"Who are you?" she gasped.

_"I am Baihumon the God of the Western section of the Digital World. I need your help."_

"M..my help?" she asked. "W..why?"

"_I promise you have nothing to fear from me. Bring yourself and seven of your friends to my temple in the Digital World and I will explain everything. I believe that you and I have the same desires."_

_ "_What_?"_

_ "Please come to the Digital World, I will explain everything. I need your help."_

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

The next morning, the Qinglongmon warriors were continuing their journey across the mountainous region. They had traveled for two hours before Taichi spotted a village nestled in the nooks of the mountains. They grinned to one another and ran down the path until they entered the perimeter. The small balls of fire that were hovering in the air stopped and stared at the strangers. "What are they?" Noriko whispered.

"Demimeramons," Ken whispered in reply.

"Hey guys!" Daisuke grinned, stepping forward. The Demimeramons screeched in a small voice and flew away to hide behind the tall buildings.

"Nice job," Takeru sighed. He slowly walked into the city. "Don't worry," he said in a calm voice, "We won't hurt you. We just want to talk."

The Demimeramons cautiously floated forward.

Takeru nodded with a smile on his face. "That's right, it's okay. We just want to talk to someone who's in charge."

The small fiery digimons nodded and floated away. The Qinglongmon warriors looked at each other. "Should we follow?" Takeru asked.

"Wait," Hikari said, "It looks like someone else is coming."

A group of digimon resembling candles walked towards them. They stared at the humans curiously. "Hi," Taichi nodded, "We're the Chosen Children, well, we _were…_" Anyway, we were wondering if anyone knows anything about the Sleeping Valley?"

The Candlemon looked at one another, then the leader nodded. "Come with me." He lead the Qinglongmon Warriors through the village until they reached what appeared to be a village gathering area or square. Standing in the center was two familiar digimon: a Meramon, and one other.

"Wizardmon?" Hikari gasped, "W..wizardmon?" She started to walk towards the digimon, but Takeru spied the confused expression on the digimon's face and placed his hand on the brown-haired girl's shoulder.

"Hikari…Hikari, that's…that's not Wizardmon, not the one that…I'm sorry."

She stopped and saw the expression on Wizardmon's face. She nodded to herself and bowed. "I'm..I'm sorry."

The Wizardmon smiled warmly. "It's no problem. I know that identical digimon can be confusing."

Meramon growled. "What can we do for you?"

"We're looking for the Sleeping Valley," Taichi said, "Do you know where it is?"

"Maybe, but why are you looking for it?" the fire digimon asked.

"We need the key to the Temple of the Center," Hikari said, "I'm the Priestess of Qinglongmon."

"So you're here to save this world, huh?" Meramon asked, "That is why you're here, right? To wish for peace in the Digital World?"

Hikari nodded. "I hope so. Can you direct us to the Sleeping Valley?"

Wizardmon nodded. "Of course, but you must be tired and hungry. Come, breakfast is about to be served."

"Thanks," Daisuke grinned, "I'm starving."

The Qinglongmon Warriors soon found themselves seated at another elegant table, filled with more food. The ex-Chosen had not eaten except for a small dinner the night before, so they quickly and graciously ate the meal that was prepared for them. Yamato and Sora, of course, were seated together, smiling and grinning at one another. "You know," Yamato whispered to her, "You look really beautiful."

"No I don't," she said, "I'm filthy. I haven't had a shower in nearly two days."

"You look fine," he smiled.

The two teenagers lightly kissed each other. On the other side of the table, Hikari watched this and sighed. Sitting next to her was Takeru, who smiled slightly. "What's the matter?"

"Oh, nothing," she said, forcing a smile.

"Hikari," he said, in a tone that suggested he was not going to let her lie.

"All right," she said, "I…I…um…heh, I guess I'm just a little jealous."

"Jealous?" he asked, shocked.

She nodded. "Yeah."

"So you mean that there's someone…"

"Well, maybe," she smiled slightly.

"Who?" he asked.

She blushed and shook her head. "No, I..I'm sorry. I can't…"

Takeru grinned and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hikari, I've known you for a long time, so I know that whoever you have feelings for, is going to be a very lucky man."

Hikari grinned. "Thanks, Takeru, you're a great friend."

The blond boy chuckled slightly. "You're not going to tell who it is, are you?"

She blushed again and smiled. She turned away. "Guess not," Takeru said, as he went back to eating.

Taichi finished his meal then looked at Meramon and Wizardmon. "I'm sorry, but you said that you knew where the Sleeping Valley was?" The other Qinglongmon Warriors stared at their leader, but did not interrupt.

"Yes, of course," Wizardmon said, "The Sleeping Valley is located approximately three miles from here. You will know which valley it is by the trio of large red trees in the center."

Taichi nodded. "Thanks." He turned to the others, "We'd better get going."

"Can't we finish first?" Daisuke asked.

The doors to the room suddenly swung open and the leader of the Candlemon ran inside. "What's wrong?" Meramon asked.

"Invaders!" he shouted, "Metal Humans!"

"Metal Humans?" Yamato asked.

"The Digital Hunters?" Sora gasped.

"Let's go," Taichi said, jumping up, "Hikari stays here."

"But Taichi…" she protested.

"He's right," Daisuke said, "But maybe someone should stay with her."

Taichi nodded. "Noriko, stay with her."

The short haired girl looked to Hikari, then nodded. "Uh, okay."

"Let's go," Taichi said. The Qinlongmon Warriors followed the Candlemon outside with Meramon and Wizardmon. They arrived back at the town square and saw two Digital Hunters standing in the center of a group of scared DemiMeramons and Candlemons.

"Chosen Children!" Nimrod grinned, "Hiding behind a bunch of pathetic digital freaks?"

"You little son of a…" Daisuke shouted, but Taichi cut him off.

"What are you doing here?" the older goggle-boy demanded.

Nimrod chuckled. "What do you think? Jeeze, Yagami, I guess you never were the smartest tool in the shed, huh?"

Taichi clenched his fists in anger. "Digi-armor energize!" The Qinglongmon Warriors were covered in their armors and they stood at attention, staring at the two Hunters. "Are you ready?"

Nimrod laughed again. "I think you're going to have other things to worry about. I'm sure Ichijoij is going to remember this!" He held up a familiar dark object. Ken's heart sank.

"A Dark Ring? But…but how…?"

"That's a secret," Tracker said, "But don't worry about that ring being by lonesome. We have plenty."

"What do you mean?" Ken asked. Tracker mentioned to the sky as an army of Dark Rings descended to the ground. They clasped themselves around the Candlemon, Meramon and Wizardmon.

"Oh no!" Sora gasped.

The eyes of each one of the Dark Ring wearing digimon glowed a dark red and stared at the armored Qinglongmon warriors. They charged forward and leapt at the former Chosen Children. The humans tried to run, but the Dark Ring possessed Candlemon were everywhere.

"We have to fight them," Taichi shouted.

"We can't!" Takeru protested, "They're not in control of themselves!"

"I know!" Taichi shouted back, "Aim for the Dark-ah!" He would have finished his sentence, but could not, as he was hit in the chest by a fireball from Meramon.

"Come on!" he growled, "Let's see what you've got!"

Wizardmon landed next to the fire digimon and pointed his staff at Daisuke. "And you must deal with me."

Daisuke looked over his shoulder, but saw that the others were busy fighting the Dark Ring wearing Candlemons. He looked to Taichi and sighed. "I guess we've got no choice, huh?"

"Just try not to hurt them too badly," Taichi said. He nodded. "Evolve!"

"Kamiya evolve to Goku!"

"Motomiya evolve to Serge!"

Taichi jumped into the air to avoid another Fireball attack from Meramon. He zeroed in on the Dark Ring around the fire digimon's arm. He placed his two palms together and quickly shouted, "_Kamehameha!" _The beam of white energy shot towards the ring, but Meramon jumped out of the way; the energy wave destroyed a section of a building's wall.

"Damn it!" Taichi swore.

Daisuke used his new-found sword skills to attempt to destroy the Dark Ring around Wizardmon's arm, but he was too worried about harming the possessed digimon to do any real damage. "This is going to take a while," he muttered.

Hikari certainly thought the same. She and Noriko were watching the battles via the windows from the safety of the main building in the village. The Priestess of Qinglongmon watched with a mixture of anxiety and fear.

"This is even worse than watching Gatomon fight," she said, "At least then I _felt_ like I was doing something. I don't have anything."

"You're the Priestess," Noriko smiled slightly, "You're the most important one here."

She shook her head. "No I'm not. I'm just like…" She was cut off when Noriko grabbed her and pulled her to the ground seconds before the window shattered.

"Are you okay?" the short haired girl asked.

Hikari nodded. "Y..yeah, I think so. But what happened?"

Noriko jumped in front of the Priestess. "_She_ did."

"A Digital Hunter!" Hikari gasped, flinching back.

The short haired girl stared at the Digital Hunter. "What do you want?"

Artemis mentioned to Hikari. "I would like to see the scroll that you have?"

The two girls glanced at each other. "What scroll?" the brown-haired girl asked.

The Digital Hunter chuckled. "Don't try that with me." She reached behind her back and pulled out her crossbow. "Hand it over, now!"

"Get back, Hikari!" Noriko shouted, "Evolve!" She quickly transformed into her black armor and attempted to attack Artemis, but she grabbed the younger girl's arm and swung her around. The Qinglongmon warrior tried to elbow her in the stomach, but she was much faster and used her other hand to grab Noriko's other arm. Artemis brought the raised heel of her boot into Noriko's back and pushed as hard as she could, releasing her grip on the Qinglongmon Warrior's arm. Noriko stumbled forward and crashed into Hikari. They both fell to the ground.

"I'm sorry!" Noriko cried, jumping back to her feet, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," the brown-haired girl said, "But where did she go?"

Noriko looked all around the room before spotting the Digital Hunter running at them from behind. She grabbed Hikari and yanked her into her arms. "Don't move, Kawada!" she warned. Noriko stopped short and stared at Artemis reached inside of Hikari's pocket and pulled out the scroll. While still holding Hikari firmly by keeping the Priestess in a head lock, she unrolled the paper and used her free hand to pull out a small, miniature camera. She demonstrated a lightning fast ability by clicking the small camera more then a dozen times before she pulled the camera back into its holding place.

"Thank you," Artemis said. She threw Hikari into Noriko again, but jumped back through the window before the two girls were back on their feet.

"The scroll!" Hikari gasped, grabbing the long piece of paper. She breathed a sigh of relief. "She didn't take it."

"She did take pictures of it," Noriko mentioned, "Now the Digital Hunters know about you and about Qinglongmon's temple!"

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Outside, Taichi and Daisuke continued fighting against Meramon and Wizardmon, while the other four Qinglongmon Warriors tried their best to hold their own against the possessed Candlemons, without hurting them.

"We can't keep this up forever," Yamato said, dodging a fire attack from a group of Canlcemons.

"I know," Ken said, "But what I can't figure out is, how their rings are being controlled."

"What do you mean?" Sora asked.

"There isn't a Control Spire anywhere near here," the former Digimon Emperor replied, "So someone has to have a device similar to our Digivices in order to make them work."

Takeru spun around to where Tracker and Nimrod were standing, grinning and laughing at them. "And I bet I know who has it." He charged forward, intending to head-butt into Nimrod, but Tracker whipped out one of her rifles and fired. Takeru was hit in the chest by a powerful blast of energy that brought him to the ground.

"Takeru!" Yamato shouted. He went to run to his brother's side, but Ken was already there.

"Don't worry," he called, "I'll take care of him. You guys take out those Hunters!"

Yamato stared at Tracker and Nimrod. "But there are two of them."

"Planning on taking both of them on?" Sora asked, running up beside him.

"Sora, you should go help Ken."

"Forget it!" she said, "This is my fight too!"

Yamato stared at her, then grinned underneath his blue armor. "Sure."

Sora nodded from underneath her own red armor. She reached out her hand, which Yamato took. "Well do it together."

He nodded. "Right, together!"

Their holding hands glowed brightly and the light spread across their bodies in an odd manner. It soon became obvious, however, that the light was coming from _underneath_ the armor, and it was appearing through cracks. The armor shattered revealing Yamato and Sora unharmed, but like Taichi and Daisuke, wearing something completely different.

It appeared that Yamato's armor had actually grown underneath and changed color. It now looked like green samurai armor, complete with a matching sword. Sora, on the other hand, was now wearing a white school shirt and a very short orange skirt. The two teenagers stared at one another in disbelief.

"Yamato..?" Sora questioned.

He nodded. "Yeah, I think I'm Seiji of Samurai Troopers!" He swung his sword in front of him, "Pretty cool, huh?"

Sora stared at him in disgust. "Yeah, real cool. I think I'm Sailor Venus."

Yamato chuckled slightly. "You could be worse"

The redhead glared at him and mentioned to the Digital Hunters. "Let's just take care of these guys, okay?"

Yamato nodded. "Sure, I'll take that guy."

Nimrod laughed. "Ha! Come and get me!" He held up his hands and blades shot out of his wrists. He ran forward and slashed one of his blades at Yamato's stomach, but like Daisuke, he demonstrated new found sword skills and was able to block the attack.

Sora stared at her boyfriend. She shrugged and stared at Tracker. "Fine."

"Ya really think ya scare me?" the female Digital Hunter asked. She pointed both of her guns at Sora and fired a bullet of blue energy. The redhead Sailor Scout automatically pointed a finger at her and fired her own attack. "Crescent Beam!" The two energy attacks smashed into one another, creating an explosion, sending both young women onto their backs.

Nimrod swung his swords into Yamato, but the Qinglongmon Warrior blocked the attack again. "Wow!" Yamato gasped, "I can't believe I'm actually doing this!"

"Now you're mocking me?!" Nimrod screamed, "I'm going to kill you!" He lunged at Yamato, and managed to break off a section of his shoulder armor. The Digital Hunter swung his other sword around and if Yamato had not been wearing a green helmet, he might have suffered a fatal injury. He stumbled backwards, but was able to keep himself from falling over by propping himself up with his sword.

"No one makes a fool out of me!" Nimrod screamed. He kicked Yamato in the face and then kicked him the stomach. He completed his attack but executing a roundhouse, smacking his foot against Yamato's face, throwing him onto his back. The Digital Hunter jumped into the air, intending to bring his swords into Yamato's chest, but the Qinglongmon Warrior rolled out of the way. He jumped onto his feet and stared at Nimrod. His sword was covered by crackling electricity and he swung it in front of him, sending a giant ball of lightning into Nimrod. The Digital Hunter screamed in pain and was flung backwards.

"Nimrod!" Tracker shouted, watching as her partner was flung through the sky.

"Crescent Beam!" Sora shouted, firing her Sailor Venus attack at the female Digital Hunter. She lost her balance and fell over; a square black device falling out of her pocket. The black object gained momentum as it rolled downhill. Tracker gasped, "No!"

Sora guessed by Tracker's reaction that the device was extremely important. "The Dark Ring device!" she shouted, "Yamato, the Dark Ring device!"

"I've got it!" he shouted. He jumped into the air and slammed his sword down, slicing the black device in half. It exploded with a flash of light and circuitry. Instantly, the Dark Rings dropped from the possessed digimon.

Wizardmon fiercely shook his head after the Dark Ring fell from his arm. "W..what happened?"

"Wizardmon, you're okay?" Daisuke asked, "I mean, _really_ okay?"

"What happened?" Meramon growled.

"You were taken over by a Dark Ring," Taichi said, "But I think you're okay now."

"Who did this?" the fire digimon demanded.

"They did!" Yamato shouted, pointing his sword at Nimrod and Tracker.

The two Digital Hunters stared at each other, then at the group of Candlemon, Meramon, and Wizardmon, lead by the Qinglongmon Warriors. Artemis jumped down in front of Nimrod and Tracker.

"Artemis!" Tracker gasped.

"I've got what we came for," she said.

"Then let's get the heck outta here!" the other female Digital Hunter shouted.

"No!" Nimrod shouted, "We do NOT run!"

Tracker mentioned to the group of digimon and warriors heading towards them. "We're leaving."

The male Digital Hunter growled. "Fine!"

Artemis grabbed her crossbow and placed a green tipped arrow on top and fired. The projectile smashed into the ground before the Qinglongmon Warriors. It exploded into a large cloud of smoke. When it cleared, the Digital Hunters were gone.

After the Qinglongmon Warriors returned to their normal selves they and the inhabitants of the village joined together to discuss what had occurred.

"It's all my fault," Noriko bowed before Taichi and Daisuke, "I'm so sorry."

"You did what you could," Daisuke said, "Right Taichi?"

The older nodded quickly, "Uh, yeah. We still have the scroll, so there wasn't any real harm done. You did your best."

"But I should have stopped her," Noriko sighed, "I can understand if you tell me to leave."

"Why we would do that?" Hikari asked, "Thank you, Noriko, for helping me."

The short-haired girl mumbled a 'Your welcome,' but everyone could see that she was still depressed.

"I don't want to make her feel any worse," Ken said, "But if that Digital Hunter photographed the scroll, then they're going to know all about our plans."

"We're just going to have to keep going," Taichi shrugged, "There's not much else we can do about it."

"Yeah," Takeru said, "Let's head to the Sleeping Valley, and find that first key." He gently placed his hand on Noriko's shoulder. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine."

Hikari bowed before Meramon and Wizardmon ."Thank you for your hospitality."

"Thank you for helping us," Wizardmon smiled, "I wish you luck in your search."

"And if you ever need help," Meramon grinned, "Just give us a call."

"We will," the Priestess of Qinglongmon said, "Good bye."

The Warriors of Qinglongmon left the village and continued on a path through the mountains. Hikari turned to Sora. "So, what did it feel like? I mean, to be Sailor Venus?"

She shrugged. "I don't know how to describe it, it just felt…different, I guess."

"I'm sort of jealous," Hikari blushed, "When I was younger, I use to pretend that I was Sailor Moon."

"Well," Takeru said, "I thought that Yamato looked so cool using his sword."

"Of course," the older blond grinned, "I'm a natural."

Ken looked over to Noriko, who was still depressed. He lightly hugged her, "I wonder who we'll turn into?"

"If you're lucky Noriko," Sora said, "It won't be someone who wears such a short skirt."

"Hey," Yamato said, "I thought you looked pretty good in that."

The redhead stared at him, then smiled. "You did look pretty cool. Ha."

The two teenagers reached out and held one another's hands and they traveled through the mountains.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

I was jealous of Sora in more ways then just her new ability to become a Sailor Scout. I always did look up to her, because she is a strong person, someone who was not afraid to play soccer, to get really dirty and competitive with the boys. I know that I am not as strong as she is, I keep too much of my own feelings inside. I'm also jealous of her and Yamato's love. Someone, I wish I can experience those feelings with the person I'm dreaming of.

With Yamato and Sora's ability to evolve, we're heading towards the Sleeping Valley to search for the Key of Qinglongmon. Even as bad as things are right now, I cannot help but think about this strange feeling I have, a foreboding sense of dread, dread, and something else, something I just cannot ignore, maybe betrayal? Like people that we know, our friends are about going to turn against us. I truly hope not.


	4. Chapter III: The Key of Qinglongmon

When I remember Takeru and Ken, I cannot help but think of how different they are. Ken has had to deal with so much pain and heartache his entire life. He lost his older brother at a young age, and suffered so much because of it. He suffered a breakdown, became the Digimon Kaizer, but he was able to fight his way back. If I ever lost Taichi, I don't know what I would do, maybe I would end up the same way as Ken, wandering lost and feeling so alone. If that did happen to me, would I become some sort of…of Digimon Empress? Would I be able to find myself again, like he did?

Takeru sort of lost his brother too. His parents were divorced when he was at a young age also, but he could always see Yamato pretty much when he wanted. They say that children of divorced parents can developed much rage and anger, but, while it is pretty obvious for Yamato, Takeru has always been that cheerful and happy person, on the outside, at least. Occasionally, we can see a 'dark' Takeru emerge, and it does frighten me sometimes. Still, he's always been probably my best friend, giving me advice and watching out for me. Ken sort of does that too, but it is more like he is trying to keep us from taking the same path that he did.

You know, maybe they're not so different after all.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Chosen Warriors:

_Chapter III:_

_The Key of Qinglongmon_

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Takeru placed the binoculars over his eyes and sighed deeply. "This is just great." He sighed again and rested his head on the large rock underneath him.

"What's the matter?" Ken asked, walking up to him.

Takeru pointed off of the ledge they were standing on to a valley below them. The ground was covered with green grass, and a trio of large red trees in the center. There was something else in the center as well, a large metal complex. "What is that?" Ken asked.

The blond boy gave the other boy his binoculars. Ken stared through them and focused on the complex. People were walking in and out, including someone that he recognized. "This is a Digital Hunter base?"

Takeru nodded. "I think so."

"Oh, you've got to be kidding!" Ken gasped.

"It gets better," Takeru said, "According to the map in the scroll, it's built right _over_ the Qinglongmon shrine where the key is hidden."

"What? How can that be?"

"I don't know," he answered, "Why don't you ask them when we get there? We'd better get back."

The two boys walked back from the top of the valley wall to their small campsite. The other Qinglongmon Warriors were seated around a small campfire. "What did you find out?" Taichi asked.

"You're going to love this," Takeru said, "There's a Digital Hunter base built over top."

"What?" Daisuke asked.

"Jeeze," Sora sighed, "They're not making this easy."

"Why is there a Digital Hunter base over top?" Hikari asked, "Did they know about the temple beforehand?"

"Maybe, maybe not," Ken said, "If they knew that there was a temple underneath, I doubt they really understood what it was for."

"Any plans on getting inside our temple?" Yamato asked.

"I have two theories on that. If we can get to the bottom floor, we might be able to break through and get to the temple. My second theory is that since the Hunters copied Hikari's scroll, they might already be trying to find their way down there. If that's the case, they'll have a way to get inside."

Noriko flinched. "I'm sorry, it's my fault."

"Noriko," Taichi said, "Don't be so hard on yourself."

"But I failed you," she sighed, "You told me to protect her, I let you down." She stared at the ground. Takeru walked over and sat down next to her. He placed his on her back and lightly rubbed it.

"Listen," he said, "People make mistakes, I mean; we've made plenty. I can think of a lot of mistakes that I made." He sighed slightly, "I can remember when Black Wargreymon was attacking the Digital World. I was so ready to condemn him outright, without learning about him. Maybe if I spent more time trying to understand him, maybe he wouldn't have…" He shook his head, "Well, that doesn't matter now. Just try not to let it get to you. Everyone makes mistakes, right guys?"

The others all coughed and cleared their throats. "Uh, I might have made a few errors," Taichi chuckled slightly.

"I know I have," Ken said, "But you can't let the guilt overwhelm you, it really isn't healthy. It can lead to a breakdown, trust me, don't make the same mistakes I did."

Noriko forced herself to smile. "All right, I'll be okay."

"Okay," Taichi said, "We need to think of a way to get inside that complex. Any ideas?"

"How 'bout a distraction?" Daisuke asked, "It always worked before."

"How are we going to do that?" Sora asked.

Takeru put his binoculars back up to his eyes and stared at the Digital Hunter base. "It looks like there's a small vent on the roof. Maybe we could….." He trailed off.

"What?" Hikari asked.

Takeru turned the dials on the edge of the binoculars in order to zoom in. He blinked a few times, then turned to look at the others. "I'm seeing things."

"What?" Yamato asked.

"I thought I saw a group of teenagers climb through that vent, weird."

"Okay," Taichi said, "Takeru and Noriko, stay here with Hikari. The rest of us are going in."

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

The Qinglongmon Warriors quietly climbed up the outside of the Digital Hunter base. They had spent most of the afternoon examining the patterns of the defensive Digital Hunters that were walking around the outside of the large building. Everyone knew that there had to be security cameras or something to the like nearby. Everyone was waiting for the loud alarm that they were sure was going to come, but never did.

"They're just gonna let us walk in here?" Ken asked, slowly removing the grate to the outside of the vent.

"They're not idiots," Taichi said, "Plus, they've got all this techno junk, there _has_ to be security cameras, or motion dectors around here somewhere, there just has to be."

"So how come we didn't run into any yet?" Yamato questioned.

"I don't know," their leader sighed.

"Maybe they're silent alarms?" Daisuke suggested.

Ken gently placed the grate onto the roof, "Let's go."

Taichi went first, followed by Daisuke and the others. The ventilation system was built in a maze of square pipes. The Chosen Warriors followed the best path they could until they reached another metal grate, this one on the floor. Taichi could hear voice from below, and told the others to be quiet. The leader of the Qinglongmon Warriors slowly cautiously looked through and listened.

The hallway below was dark, except for a few small red lights attached to the walls. Two of the Digital Hunters were talking directly beneath the vent.

"Did you find the problem yet?"

"No," the second one shook his head, "The power's out all across the fifth grid too! Only the factory grids are still on-line. Which means that only the A complex was hit."

"Damn it!" the first one swore, "What the heck happened? We could have blown a fuse that would have cut power to the entire complex!"

"Someone must have done it. They cut the power so they could sneak inside."

"The Chosen are here!" the first gasped, "We'd better tell Lord Sentry." Both of them disappeared down the hall.

"That's why none of the alarms went off," Taichi said, turning his head so he could face the other Chosen Warriors as best he could, "The power's out."

"Wait," Yamato said, "If we didn't cut the power, who did?"

"What about those other teenagers that Takeru said he saw?" Sora asked.

"Maybe we weren't the only Chosen that escaped," Ken said.

"Then we have some friends in here," Daisuke smiled.

"Maybe," Taichi said, "But don't let your guard down. We're deep in enemy territory."

The others nodded in agreement and then continued through the air shaft. They eventually reached another grate, this one on the side of the airshaft. They had passed by dozens of other grates, but this grate caused Taichi to stop and stare through it. "Ken!" he whispered, "You've got to see this."

Ichijoji squeezed past the others and looked through the grate. His eyes flew open as he stared at a large factory beneath the ventilation system. Two large pillars smashed into one another, only to be pulled apart once again, but with a large black ring between them. A large robotic arm grabbed it and placed it on a conveyor belt, where it traveled across the large room. Another large robotic arm grabbed the ring and placed it in a metal box.

"A Dark Ring processing plant!" Ken gasped.

"But…how would they know how to make them?" Daisuke asked.

Ken shook his head. "No, I..I don't know."

"How were _you_ able to make them?" Yamato questioned, "Did you use any plans or something?"

"I…Yeah, but they should have been destroyed with my base!" he said, "How…how could _they_ know how to make them?"

"Wait a sec," Daisuke said, "If the power's out, I wonder why _this_ place is still working?"

"Remember what that one soldier said?" Sora whispered, "About the factory having power? This must be what he meant."

The others were silent. "Come on," Taichi whispered, "We'd better keep going."

They continued in silence until they finally reached another grate, but this one looking into an abandoned hallway. They jumped down to the floor.

"Power's still out, I see," Ken sighed, glancing around the darkened hallway.

"That can work to our advantage," Taichi smiled. "All right, Daisuke, Ken, and Sora, head that way down the hall and me and Yamato'll go this way. We need to find a way into the Temple beneath this place, and we should probably investigate the Dark Rings they have. Keep in touch using the D-terminals. Turn them on vibrate, no beeps, got it?"

The others nodded. "Good luck," Taichi said. The group split and ran in opposite directions down the hall.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Lord Sentry walked through the darkness of the small room. He frowned as he stared up at a black monitor that was built onto the wall. "How long before power is restored?"

"Not long," Orion said, "We're trying to route the power from the factories into the main line. I estimate half hour to an hour."

"Perfect," Lord Sentry grinned, "Now, how about finding out who did this."

"We're looking into it, sir."

The commander of the Digital Hunters nodded. "Excellent. I expect a fully report soon."

"Of course sir," Orion nodded. "I am heading over to the factory to oversee the repairs. Maybe we'll have power sooner."

Lord Sentry nodded. "Maybe I'll join you."

"Sir?"

"I have a feeling that things are going to get very interesting tonight," he grinned, "Very interesting indeed."

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Daisuke slowly peered around the corner, his eyes focusing for even the slightest movement. He found none, at least, _biological _movements and breathed a sigh of relief. He mentioned to the two others that were at his side. "Come on, the coast's clear."

The trio ran from the darkened hallway into the well illuminated area of the Dark Ring processing plant. They dove for cover behind a high stack of large metal crates. Ken stared up as the large robotic arms grabbed the Dark Rings and dropped them into the crates.

"Psst, Ken," Sora whispered.

"What?"

"Are those your rings?" She gasped and started to blush, "What I meant was, the rings that…you know…."

Ken nodded. "Yeah, I know what you meant, but I won't be able to tell you until I see them."

"Hey, no problem," Daisuke grinned. He quickly climbed up the side of the metal crate, ignoring the whispered cries of Sora and Ken. He reached the top and reached inside to grab a Dark Ring. He threw it to Ken. "Catch."

The other young man caught it and growled at him. "You know, you could have gotten us all caught."

Daisuke just grinned.

"Well?" Sora asked, "Ken, is that Ring…?"

Ken examined the black object in his hands. He sighed and nodded. "Yeah, these are the Dark Rings. They're authentic." He stared at the Dark Ring in his hands, "But, I don't understand how the Digital Hunters can even _make_ them! They would need some kind of blueprint or something, but…those should have been destroyed with my base! They must have got it from somewhere, but where?"

Daisuke's ears perked up. "Something's coming. Quick, hide!" They scampered over to the far end of the group of large metal crates and hide behind them. Daisuke cautiously looked around the corner and stared at the large entrance. He held his breath as a group of figures stepped inside. He was sure that the Digital Hunters had found them, until he noticed that these figures appeared to be teenagers. Once they stepped out of the dark hallway and into the light, he was able to see their features clearly. He started walking towards them.

"Daisuke, what are you doing?" Sora hissed.

The young man ignored her and ran towards the group of teenagers. "Michael? Is that you?"

"Michael?" Ken gasped, "From the New York Chosen?" He and Sora ran over to join Daisuke.

"Mimi!" Sora gasped.

"And Wallace," Daisuke nodded, "And Maria, Steve, Lou, Sam and…and…"

The orange headed teenage girl frowned. "My name is Tatum."

"What are you doing here?" Ken asked.

The group was silent, as if they were debating to answer. "Mimi?" Sora asked, walking towards her friend, "What's wrong?"

Still, no one answered. Finally, Maria stepped forward. "Where is the Priestess of Qinglongmon, Hikari?"

"And your other Celestial Warriors," Michael questioned.

"How do you know about that?" Daisuke asked.

"Because I am the Priestess of Baihumon," Maria said, "And these are _my_ seven star warriors."

"Priestess of Baihumon?" Ken asked, "So, you're here to help us?"

The young girl hesitated, then sighed deeply. "I'm sorry, but we need the key that's hidden underneath of this place so we can open the Temple of the Center and summon Baihumon."

"But why?" Sora asked.

"To ask him to seal away the Digital World forever. If Chosen Children and digimon are stuck in the Digital World, they can't be hunted or killed by the humans of Earth."

"But…what'll that solve?" Ken asked. "All that will do is make the chasm between Earth and the Digital World even greater! We need to bring the two worlds _together_, make every person a Chosen! If everyone is one, if everyone can understand what it means to have a partner, then maybe the Digital Hunters won't exist ever again!"

"How can someone with your intelligence be so stupid?" Sam asked.

"Mimi?" Sora asked, "You…you actually agree with this?"

The other girl turned away from Sora's gaze. "I'm tired of having to fight a digimon that wants to control Earth, or a human that wants to control the Digital World. If they were separate, then we wouldn't have this problem! I lost Palmon, because some bigot human thought that if he could kill every Chosen Child on Earth, it would end all of Earth's problems!"

Sora was in shock, "Mimi…"

"I'm sorry Sora," she said, "Please; we don't have to fight each other. I don't want to hurt you. Just tell us where Hikari is…"

Sora suddenly felt a surge of pride run through her. Mimi was one of her friends, maybe even her best, but when she mentioned Hikari, the redhead could not control herself. "You're not going to touch her! Leave Hikari out of this!"

Mimi gasped. "Sora!"

"She's right," Daisuke said, "You are our friends, but if you want to touch our Priestess of Qinglongmon, then you're going to have to go through us!"

Ken grabbed his arm. "Now isn't the time."

"What are you talking about?" the other boy snapped. Ken mentioned to the large entrance to the factory. "Ah!"

The Celestial Warriors of Baihumon turned around slowly and saw a squad of Digital Hunters standing in the doorway, led by Lord Sentry and Orion. Daisuke whispered to Ken. "Get your D-terminal out and get the others, now!"

Ken nodded and pulled out his small communicator. He quickly sent an S.O.S. to Yamato and Takeru. "All right, they're coming."

"I just hope we survive until then," Sora sighed.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Taichi took a deep breath as he and Yamato ran into the giant octagon shaped room. The two warriors spun around in the darkness, waiting to be attacked from all sides by Digital Hunters. To their surprise, they were safe. "Where the heck is everyone?" Taichi asked.

"I don't know," Yamato said. He scanned the large room, his eyes focusing on the large equipment in the middle of the room. He saw a pile of dirt and concrete, along with a large square hole in the ground. "I think we found it."

"Found what?" Taichi asked, running over to join him.

Yamato pointed to the hole in the ground, "The temple was underground, remember?"

Taichi grinned. "Alright, let's get that Key." He was about to jump into the hole, when Yamato stopped him.

"It's my D-terminal," he replied, removing it from his pocket, "It's from Ken! They're in the processing plant, they're fighting Digital Hunters!"

Taichi stared through the hole, then glanced at Yamato. "What about the Key?"

"Taichi, you're not seriously considering…?"

The goggle boy shook his head. "No, I'm not. Come on, we'll have to come back and investigate later." The two warriors ran out of the room.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Takeru growled as he stared down at the Digital Hunter complex from his position on the mountain ridge. "Where are they?"

He turned to the other two, who were seated on a small boulder."You should stop pacing," Hikari said, "I trust Taichi and Daisuke. They'll be able to handle this."

"I know," Takeru sighed, "I just wish that…" He abruptly stopped speaking.

"What?" Noriko asked, who was seated with Hikari.

The blond boy reached into his pocket and pulled out his D-terminal. "They're in trouble! I've got to go."

"Wait for me!" Noriko cried, jumping up.

"You stay here and protect Hikari!" Takeru shouted, quickly running down the side of the mountain to land on the ground of the Sleeping Valley. He took a deep breath and chanted, "Digi-armor energize!"

His body was covered by his yellow body armor. He charged towards the Digital Hunter complex, but saw a group of Hunters standing at the entrance. They had seen him, and were now running towards him. "Oh great. I've got to get passed them, but I can't do it alone." He shook his armored head, "No, I have to! Crest of Hope, Qinglongmon, please, give me the power I need!"

Cracks began to form in Takeru's armor, as it shattered and exploded apart. He was now wearing a pair of black pants, white shirt and black jacket. He was also carrying a sword. He examined himself and smiled. "All right, Squall Lionheart, Final Fantasy VII." He swung his sword out in front of him as he ran towards the Digital Hunters.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Daisuke, who had already evolved to his Serge form, slammed into the metal wall and slid to the floor. He weakly stared with his blurry vision at the menacing figure of Lord Sentry towering over him.

Sora, already evolved into Sailor Venus, ran towards them. "Daisuke, hang on!" she shouted. She pointed her finger at the Digital Hunter. "Crescent Beam!"

Lord Sentry continued staring at the fallen Daisuke, but raised his palm out to his side. Sora's attack twisted around and headed straight for the Qinglongmon Warrior. Luckily, she was able to fall to the ground, missing the energy attack.

"Now," Lord Sentry said, staring down at Daisuke, "Where were we?"

Ken had transformed into his green armor, but was unable to help Sora and Daisuke against the Digital Hunter leader. The other one that was with him followed the New York Chosen after they ran off. Ichijoji wanted to help his friends, but he had yet to evolve. He decided that he would at least try. He charged at Lord Senty and tried to leapt kick him to the ground, but the Digital Hunter batted him away with a swipe of his hand. He flew backwards and landed on the ground.

"So many distractions, aren't there?" Lord Sentry grinned, staring down at Daisuke. He brought his foot up and placed it down on top of his head. "It's time to bid you farewell."

"Daisuke!" Ken shouted, "No!"

His armor began to glow and crack in a manner similar to the other Chosen Warriors. When it cracked, Ken stood wearing a simple pair of bluish black pants and jacket. His hair had become spiky and he was wearing a strange upside-down pyramid around his neck. In one hand he carried a deck of cards. Ken instantly realized who he was. "Yugioh, huh?"

Lord Sentry stared in awe at the newly transformed Chosen Warrior. "Amazing."

Sora was back on her feet and ran over to join Ken. "Quick! Your powers, what can you do?"

"The cards?" Ken asked, "Well, let's see what I have here." He quickly looked through his deck. There were not many cards that he thought could stand up against Lord Sentry, until he focused on one that made him grin. He held up the card and shouted, "Dark Magician!"

The familiar monster leapt off of the card and appeared before Lord Sentry, who appeared less then frightened. "Do you honestly expect to stop me with a man wearing a dress?"

Ken growled and moved his hand slightly, and when he did, he noticed that the Dark Magician's hand move as well. Ken moved his other hand and the monster mimicked the same movement.

"I think I get it," Ken said, "_I_ control whatever monster I summon. Let me give it a try. Dark Magic Attack!" He swung his arm, which meant that the Dark Magician swung his arm as well, sending a force of energy into Lord Sentry, which knocked him off of Daisuke. Unfortunately, it was not enough to hurt him. The leader of the Digital Hunters held out his palm and fired a black energy ball into the Dark Magician's chest. Ken gave a yelp and fell to his knees.

"I guess you get hurt through the same connection, huh?" Lord Sentry asked. He slammed the side of his fist into the Dark Magician's nose. Ken's head flew back as he lost his balance and fell over.

Sora ran to his side, but he easily swatted her away.

"So, if I kill this false being in front of me, you'll die too, huh?" He grinned, "Why don't we try it?"

"Hey metal mouth!"

Lord Sentry turned his head to the entrance of the factory and saw Taichi, evolved to Goku, and Yamato, evolved to Seiji. "Yeah, that's right!" Taichi continued, "I'm talking to you, you walking trash compacter!

"How dare you!" Lord Sentry shouted.

"Well come and get us!" Yamato shouted. He held his sword out in front of him and charged at the Digital Hunter. Lord Sentry easily dodged Yamato's sword thrust and, with one quick and easy motion grabbed a hold of his wrist and flung him to land next to Daisuke. Taichi attempted to attack the Hunter from behind but he executed a roundhouse kick that sent him skidding backwards. He was able to keep his balance and stay on his feet. He twisted his head slightly to get a better view of where the others were: Yamato was helping Daisuke to his feet, Sora and Ken were supporting each other as they limped over.

"Go on!" Taichi shouted, "Get out of here! I'll hold him off!" He swung his fists into Lord Sentry's face, but was easily repelled back.

"Taichi…" Daisuke weakly said from Yamato's arms, "We're…we're not going to leave…you…"

"You need to go!" Taichi shouted, taking another punch in the face from Lord Sentry, "Yamato, you know where to take them."

The other Chosen Warrior nodded. "Come on."

"Yamato!" Sora shrieked, "You're not…"

"Now!" he shouted, "Come on. Sora, Ken, go!"

The two reluctantly ran out of the factory as quickly as they could. Yamato carried Daisuke to the large doorway. He paused to glance at Taichi's losing battle with Lord Sentry, but continued into the hall. He joined with Sora and Ken, who were waiting outside. The four warriors of Qinglongmon ran through the darkened tunnels. "Where are we going?" Ken asked.

"Taichi and I found the Key," he said, "We've got to…" The hall was suddenly illuminated, causing the group of warriors to yelp out in pain and rub their eyes.

"The power's back, I guess," Ken said, rubbing his eyes. When the pain in his eyes stopped and his blurry vision became clear, he was able to see a large squad of Digital Hunters surrounding them.

"Well, I think we've done better," Daisuke weakly said.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Taichi swung his fists into Lord Sentry's face, once in the left, once in the right, again from the left and the final swung from the right. With each punch, Lord Sentry's head swung backwards. Taichi's final punch sent the Digital Hunter staggering backwards. Taichi panted and grinned. "How's that? Like it?"

Lord Sentry regained his footing and slammed his metal fist into Taichi's face. He grabbed the warrior's arm and yanked him into the air, twisting him around and slamming his back into his knee. He threw him to the floor and stared down at his fallen foe. "So, do _you_ like it?"

Taichi responded by pointing his palm at Lord Sentry's face. "_Kamehameha__!"_

The Digital Hunter's head was thrown back as it was hit by the beam of energy. He slowly brought his head back down and grinned at the Qinglongmon Warrior. "So, anything else, or should we end this?" He slammed his foot into Taichi's stomach. The younger man yelled out in pain, then glowed in a bright light, reverting to his normal form.

"I guess you don't have anything else, huh? I don't enjoying killing an unworthy opponent, but this is simply business." He slowly reached down to grab Taichi's face, when he heard a loud explosion behind him. He spun around and saw a gapping hole in the outer wall of the factory, with a lone sword-wielding figure standing in the smoke and debris. With great effort, Taichi lifted his head.

"Ta..Takeru…?"

The younger boy jumped into the factory. "Don't worry, Taichi, I'll save you." He changed forward and swung his sword into Lord Sentry's arm, but the Digital Hunter countered with his other fist, smashing Takeru's face. The younger man staggered backwards.

"Wow, that hurt," he rubbed his injured nose.

"I can do much worse," Lord Sentry growled. He backhanded Takeru into the right wall, and fell to the ground. He saw Taichi lying on the floor next to him, and Lord Sentry walking towards both of them. He twirled his head around and saw a giant metal box hanging from the ceiling. He saw that Lord Sentry was standing directly beneath it. He grinned as he stood up.

"What are you so happy about?" the Digital Hunter asked.

Takeru did not answer and he swung his sword, sending a beam of crescent shaped energy into the chains that were supporting the metal box. Lord Sentry turned his head up just in time to see the metal slam him through the floor. The shockwaves caused the walls to shake and shatter. The factory began to fall to pieces. Takeru lifted Taichi and they began to walk towards the hole in the wall.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

"Oniichan!" Hikari gasped. She ran over to help Takeru carry Taichi to their small campsite on the top of the mountain ridge surrounding the Sleeping Valley.

Noriko kicked aside some stones and placed a blanket on the ground. "Here, put him here."

Takeru and Hikari gently laid him down. "What happened?" Hikari demanded.

"Hunters…" Taichi mumbled, "They…attacked. W…where are the o…others?"

"I don't know," Takeru said, "They didn't come out yet."

"They're…still…inside?" Taichi gasped, "We've got to get them." He started to sit up, but Takeru and Noriko pushed him back down.

"You need to rest," Noriko said, "You can barely stand."

"Yeah," Takeru nodded, "We'll go look for them later."

Hikari gasped.

"What's wrong?" Noriko asked.

"They..they've been captured," Hikari gasped, "I…I can feel it. I don't know how, but…the Qinglongmon Warriors…are prisoners!"

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

My friends had been captured, just like the other Chosen Children. Only this time, they were being held…because of me. Because I wanted to make a wish to save the Digital World, because _I_ needed the Key of Qinglongmon to enter the Temple of the Center, because I was the Priestess of Qinglongmon. Takeru told me that it wasn't my fault, but Daisuke, Sora, Yamato, Ken, all of them, are fighting because of me. I have to save them.


	5. Chapter IV: The Seven Stars of Qinglongm...

After our final battle with Belial Vamdemon, the children that had been infected with the Dark Seeds received digimon partners and became official Chosen Children. All of them adjusted pretty well, except for Kawada Noriko.

I have to say that out of all of the Dark Seed children, Noriko was always our unofficial favorite. It could be that she was the first one we tried to save, or maybe because Oniichan and the other older children had to go back to the summer camp to try and get back into the Digital World in the hope that Oikawa could help her. Taichi used to say that she reminded him of me, pretty flattering, I guess.

However, Noriko always suffered from low self-esteem, which is why she sought out the Dark Seed to begin with, and, unfortunately, after the Seed lost its power over her, her self-esteem was even lower then before. She constantly blamed herself for what happened to us when we fought Oikawa and Belial Vamdemon. After the Digital Hunters were able to copy the Scroll of Qinglongmon, Noriko blamed herself, and she felt like she could never measure up to the rest of us. I could sympathize with how she felt, but there is a time for feeling sorry for yourself and a time for overcoming your problems and fighting onward. This is a lesson that Noriko will soon learn for herself.

_---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

The Chosen Warriors

_Chapter IV:_

_The Seven Stars of Qinglongmon_

_---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Hikari stared at the Digital Hunter base in the Sleeping Valley below. "They still haven't come out yet."

Takeru stood by her and nodded. "I know." He sighed, "I just hope they're all right."

"They're not," Hikari said, "They're prisoners of people that wouldn't think twice about killing us. If they're still alive, they're probably in the worst possible pain imaginable."

Takeru shivered, then shook his head. "No, they'll be okay, we have to just hope. That's the best we can do for right now."

Hikari nodded. "I know, I know."

"Listen to me," the blond boy said, grabbing her shoulders, "I know what you're thinking, but it's _not_ your fault, understand?"

She nodded. "Y..yeah."

"All right," he sighed, "Come on."

They walked back to their small campsite and saw Taichi sitting up with his back leaning against one of the tree stumps around the camp fire. Noriko was kneeling beside him wrapping an ice bag around his left knee. "Oniichan," Hikari smiled, "Are you feeling better?"

The older boy nodded slightly. "A little. It doesn't hurt so much when I breathe anymore," he grinned as best he could, "Besides, Noriko's doing a great job as a nurse here."

The short-haired girl bowed slightly. "Thank you."

Takeru started fishing through a backpack. "Let's see what we've got for dinner." He pulled out a small package wrapped in leaves. He opened it and smiled. "Luckily we've still got enough food left. Those Koromon might be small, be they sure know how to cook."

"They've got really big appetites, that's why," Hikari smiled. She sat down beside her brother and looked over Noriko's shoulders as she tended to his injuries. "He really hurt you, huh?"

"It was the Digital Hunters leader," Taichi frowned, "Lord Sentry, I think that's what I heard the others call him."

Hikari sighed as she gently rubbed her older brother's shoulder, "You did the best you could."

He nodded. "I know." He looked down to the bottom of the Sleeping Valley, to the location of the Digital Hunters base, "I just hope the others are okay."

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Inside of the Digital Hunter complex, Lord Sentry sat at a large conference table, staring at a group of his commanding Digital Hunters. "Go on."

Nimrod nodded. "Right. We've got Ishida, Takenouchi, Ichijoji and Motomiya. According to that scroll that Artemis copied from Yagami's sister, the so-called, 'Priestess of Qinglongmon," if she wants to, heh, make her wish, she'll need every one of her warriors. She and her brother are gonna have to come here to rescue their friends."

"I agree," Lord Sentry said, "But, we can't just let them sit around." He turned to a woman with short blond hair, "Recorder, I want every bit of information you can get from them: powers, altered DNA, whatever."

The woman nodded. "Yes sir."

The Digital Hunter commander stood up. "I am heading back to the Server Desert Base. Keep me informed."

"Yes sir!" Nimrod and Recorder shouted.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Yamato tried to ignore the sharp pain in his shoulder from Nimrod's grip. If he tried to fight back now, it would only make things worse. They stopped in front of a doorway and the Digital Hunter tossed him inside. Yamato fell onto his face, but was back on his feet in seconds. He spun around to glare at Nimrod. The Digital Hunter laughed. "Sorry."

"You jack-ass," the blond warrior growled, "Just wait."

"Ha!" Nimrod chuckled.

"At least tell me what the hell you're gonna do to me!"

"Fine," he responded, "Our chief scientist wants to know about your powers."

"Why? Haven't you dissected enough Chosen Children to figure out our powers?"

Nimrod grinned. "If you're referring to the perverted devices you call, 'digivices,' we've already figured out how they work. And we've all ready cut up enough Chosen Children to figure out how the digital energy flows through your body."

"You sick son of a…" Yamato started.

Nimrod continued. "But, we haven't run into any Chosen Children yet that can change into characters from t.v. shows. We need to figure out how."

Yamato smiled. "I'll save you the trouble, it's a mystical power."

"You'll be defiant to the last, huh? Well, enjoy your 'treatment." He slammed the door shut.

Yamato turned away and looked around. He was in a room that was made completely of a shinny metal, except for one wall that had a glass window. He was trying to figure out what was on the other side when the lights suddenly activated. He could clearly see a group of older men and woman standing around a control room filled with computer equipment. One of the older women stood in the center and stared directly at him.

"Good morning, Mr. Ishida," she said, "Did you sleep well?"

Yamato glared at her.

"I'll take that as a no," she nodded, "Well, we're going to do a few tests on you, okay?"

Yamato crossed his arms. "What if I refuse?"

"You don't have a choice," she responded.

The blond warrior was about to question when his head suddenly felt very heavy. He fell onto his back. He could hear that woman's voice over the speakers. "You're experiencing the affects of a powerful, airborne sedative. Don't worry, it's only temporary, you'll be fine. We need you unconscious to do our experiments. Just close your eyes and sleep."

Yamato tried to fight the sedative as hard as he could, but it was no use. He felt his eyes start to close. He did not have any idea how long he was unconscious, but he woke up with Sora's face above his head.

"Yamato!" she cried, wrapping her arms around his neck, "You're awake!"

He suddenly felt a sharp pain run through his entire body. "Oh man!" he moaned, "What the hell happened?"

"Probably what's about to happened to the rest of us," she smiled weakly.

He lightly rubbed his forehead. "W..where am I?" he asked, trying to sit up. Sora knelt down and helped him into a sitting position.

"Back at the cell," he heard Daisuke answer his question. He looked past Sora and saw that he was indeed back in their prison cell, along with the rest of the captured Qinglongmon Warriors. The goggle-wearer slammed his fist into the wall. "We've got to get out of here."

"How?" Ken asked, from where he was leaning back against the metal wall.

"I don't think we should worry," Sora said, "I mean, Taichi, Takeru and Noriko are still free. They'll find a way to rescue us."

Yamato sighed. "We can't just sit around and wait for them to come."

"It's only been one night," his girlfriend protested.

"No, Yamato's right," Daisuke commented, "We need to get out of here, if not to free ourselves, then to warn Taichi about Michael's team."

The others frowned and looked at the ground. "Sorry," he said.

"We're going to have to deal with it sometime," Ken said.

"But not now," Sora said, "Let's get out of here first, then once we're with Hikari, Taichi, Takeru and Noriko, then we'll deal with it together."

"All right," Daisuke nodded, "Let's try to get out of here."

"How?" Yamato questioned, "We can still change into our armor, but once we get outside, we'll have to fight our way through over a dozen Digital Hunters."

"So why don't we just do it right now?" Daisuke asked, "I mean, we can probably do it, right?"

He ran over to the door of their cell, despite Ken's protests. As soon as Daisuke touched the sliding door, a fierce bolt of electricity shot through his body, sending him flying backwards.

"Daisuke!" Yamato and Sora shouted.

"I tried to tell you," Ken said, "I already tried that."

The door to the cell opened and Nimrod and two other Digital Hunters stepped inside. He pointed at Daisuke. "You're next."

Ken and Sora jumped up, but Daisuke stepped in front of them. "Forget it, I'm coming." He silently stepped out of the room and the door slammed shut.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

As Daisuke was lead down the hall, a group of young adults watched in the safety of the air vents. There were eight of them: seven warriors, and one priestess. They were the Chosen Warriors of Baihumon, but when they still had digimon partners, they were known as the New York team.

"There goes Daisuke," Wallace said, watching as the Digital Hunters led the Qinglongmon warrior past the grate they were looking through.

"We can't just let them do this, right?" Mimi asked, "I mean, they are our friends."

"I know," Michael nodded, "But they're looking for that key that's somewhere under this base, right? And we need that key too, or…" He looked over his shoulder at the young Hispanic girl in the center of their group, "….or you won't be able to summon Baihumon."

"I know," she nodded, "And I won't be able to make my wish."

"But they're not our enemies, right?" Sam asked.

"We're on different sides," Tatum said, shrugging her shoulders, "They want one thing, and we want the other."

The others stared at her. "Well, it's true, isn't it?" she asked.

"Yeah, it is," Steve sighed, "I guess we have to face the facts, if we want to summon Baihumon, then we can't let them summon Qinglongmon."

"How can you say that?" Mimi gasped, "Sora and the others are still my friends! I won't fight them."

Michael placed his hand over her mouth. "Keep it down, or they're going to find us. Now, come on, we've got to find that key."

"Hey Michael," Sam whispered, "Didn't Daisuke say something about the Key being _underneath_ the temple?"

"Yeah?"

"I wonder where those Digital Hunters are going with those shovels."

Michael nodded. "Let's find out."

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Takeru and Noriko were cleaning up their small campsite when Hikari suddenly gasped. "What's wrong?" Taichi asked, jumping over to her.

She shivered. "D..Daisuke, I..I can feel it! He's..he's being tortured." She started gasping for air, "They're…hurting him!"

"Hikari…?" Takeru questioned.

"We need to save them," the priestess of Qinglongmon said, jumping to her feet, "Right now!"

"Hikari!" Taichi shouted, running up and grabbing her shoulders, "Hikari!"

"I've got to save them," she said, "I've got to save them!"

Taichi pulled on his younger sister's shoulders and spun her around to face him. "Hikari! You can't go running into there, you're the most important person here! We need you to summon Qinglongmon."

"What about Daisuke?" Hikari shouted, "What about Sora, Yamato and Ken? I need everyone in order to summon Qinglongmon! We need all of them! And they're prisoners, they're being tortured, because they're following _me!_ Because I need that stupid key! I need to save them!"

Taichi blinked a few times. He had never seen his sister with so much raw emotion before. He lightly squeezed her shoulders and knelt down slightly to stare her in the eyes. "Hikari, we will get them back, but you can't go alone, understand."

She nodded slowly. "But…"

Taichi interrupted her and did not allow her to finish. "I'm feeling back up to speed now." He smiled, "So let's get our friends back."

Hikari grinned. "Let's go."

Taichi mentioned to Takeru, "We'll take the lead, Noriko and Hikari, stay close, got it?"

They nodded. "Right."

He turned around and stared down at the Digital Hunter complex, seated in the center of the green valley. "Now, how do we get inside?"

Takeru placed his binoculars over his eyes and focused down on the complex. "There aren't that many soldiers guarding the outside, four, maybe five. I wonder where everyone is."

"Who cares," Taichi grinned, "I've got a plan."

Down below, the group of soldier Digital Hunters stood outside the main entrance, staring at the barren, grass colored field. There had not been any disturbances of any kind since the Chosen Warriors invaded yesterday. They needed to be alert in case the still-freed Chosen Warriors attacked, but so far, nothing.

The group of soldiers suddenly heard a loud explosion echo through the walls of the valley. They spun their heads around, trying to locate the source of the explosions. They turned to the southern side of the valley and saw the mountain side began to crumble. "Avalanche!" they shouted. The southern side of the valley was far enough away that a crumble of the wall would not damage the complex in any way. However, if a major avalanche occurred, the entire complex could be destroyed. They ran towards the crumbling wall in order to investigate, leave the entrance unguarded. Taichi, evolved to Goku, dropped from the sky, carrying Noriko, Hikari and Takeru. Once the three Chosen Warriors and their Priestess were safely on the ground, they rushed through the open doors and disappeared inside the complex.

Once inside, Taichi turned to the others. "All right. We've got to find Yamato and the others and get that key. I've got a vague idea of where it is, let's go!"

The group nodded and disappeared into the maze of tunnels. After searching for more than an hour, they finally arrived at the room that had a giant hole in the center, surrounded by drilling equipment and a large pile of dirt and debris. "This is it!" Taichi smiled, "This is where Yamato and I think the Key is!"

He ran towards the hole, but stopped in shock. The opening had been completely sealed with cement. "No! No!" he shouted, "They must have already got the Key! Damn it!"

"So, what now?" Noriko asked.

"We've got to search this place," Takeru replied, "And hope that the Key of Qinglongmon is still somewhere here."

"We'd better go," Hikari said, touching her older brother's shoulder, "Come on, Taichi."

He stood up and nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

They started to run through the tunnels once again, eventually finding their way to a long hallway with a series of mirrors on the wall. They only cautiously peeked inside as they continued down the tunnel. When they reached the end they quickly turned the corner, but Hikari noticed that they were missing someone. She stopped and saw that her friend was peeking inside one of the windows. "Noriko!" she hissed, "Come on!"

"They're talking about us!" she whispered back, "About our powers!"

"What's she talking about?" Taichi demanded.

"I don't know," Takeru said, quickly walking to join Noriko, "What's going on?"

"Shh!" she demanded, "Listen."

They kept their heads beneath the viewing glass, but listened to the conversation talking place on the other side.

Recorder stood in front of the video screen with Lord Sentry's face. "…..believe that I have all the information that I need. I will need to study it before I can give a definite conclusion."

"Yes, I understand."

"However, I noticed that during testing, a strange symbol appeared on the Chosen Children's bodies." she continued, "From what I heard from Nimrod and Artemis, Yagami's Chosen Children refer to themselves as 'The Celestial Warriors of Qinglongmon.' After researching the myths surrounding Qing Long, or Seiryuu, the dragon in the east, I discovered that there were seven unique constellations that made up Qing Long. I checked the star symbols that appeared on the Chosen's bodies with these star symbols. Motomiya had the symbol of 'Suboshi,' horn or angel, Ishida had 'Ashitare,' or tail, Takenouchi had 'Soi,' or tassel, and Ichijoji had the symbol of 'Toma,' or root. This leaves, 'Nakago,' heart, 'Miboshi,' basket, and "Amiboshi,' neck or throat."

"Quite a lot to take in," Lord Sentry nodded.

"Yes, I know," Recorder said, "However, it does make sense in some cases. For example, Motomiya's symbol, 'Suboshi,' is the horn. A horn is sharp, and Motomiya uses a sword."

"Very interesting," Lord Sentry nodded, "What is the status of this 'Key?'"

Recorder sighed and stare at the ground. "We…lost it."

"You _lost_ it?" the Digital Hunter commander shouted.

"I apologize," she pleaded, "It was stolen from us by another group of Chosen Children."

"I want them found, understand?"

"Yes sir."

Outside of the room, Taichi mentioned to the end of the hall. They ran to the intersection and jumped into the next tunnel.

"Another group of Chosen Children?" Hikari asked, "Who else would be here?"

"I've got a feeling the same ones that cut the power to this place yesterday," Taichi said, "I just hope their on our side."

"Why wouldn't they be?" Noriko asked, "If they're Chosen Children, then they can't be on the side of the Digital Hunters, can they?"

The Qinglongmon Warriors rounded a corner and came face-to-face with a group of teenagers that they never expected to see. "Maria?" Hikari gasped, "Is that you?"

The young American girl nodded. "Hikari, Priestess of Qinglongmon, I'm glad to see you."

Hikari sensed something was wrong. "Why did you call me that? It's so…formal for you."

Maria continued. "Because I am the Priestess of Baihumon, and these are my Seven Celestial Warriors."

"A Priestess of Baihumon?" Taichi gasped, "There's a priestess for the other digital gods, too?"

"Yeah," Wallace said, "And we've got our own wish to make."

"What do you mean?" Hikari asked. She turned and looked Maria directly in the eye, "You want to summon Baihumon? But what are you going to wish for."

"For the Digital World to be sealed forever," she answered, "So that humans wouldn't be able to enter it ever again."

"But, you can't do that," Hikari protested. She started to run forward, when Taichi put his arm out to block her. Her older brother stared at the opposing group of teenagers.

"Why don't you give us the key?" he asked, "We need it."

"We need it too!" Michael shouted. He held up the Key of Qinglongmon, a simple blue key with the shape of a dragon engraved onto the end. It was hanging at the end of a large string, which Michael used to hang the key around his neck. He turned to Wallace. "Get them out of here, and protect Maria."

"What about you?" Mimi asked.

"I'll hold them off. Just go.

Taichi whispered over his shoulder to Takeru. "Find the others and get out of here. I'll get that Key."

Takeru grabbed Hikari's shoulders and lead her and Noriko away. Soon, Michael and Taichi were alone in the tunnel. The two warriors stared at one another.

"Just give me that key and you won't get hurt," Taichi said, "Hikari needs it."

"So does Maria," Michael said, "You're not gonna take it from me."

Taichi nodded. "All right, you asked for it. Armor energize!" His body was instantly covered with his orange armor. The armor began to crack and exploded, revealing Taichi wearing Goku's familiar costume. "Scared yet?"

Michael grinned slightly. "Armor energize!" His body was covered by a very dark blue armor, which cracked and exploded in a manner similar to Taichi's armor. When the light faded, Michael stood wearing a black jumpsuit, with white boots and gloves.

Taichi gasped. "V..vegetta?"

Michael nodded. "So, are you scared yet?"

"You just took me by surprise, that's all," Taichi explained, "I'm going to seriously kick your ass if you don't give me that key!"

Michael spread his arms open. "Come and get me!"

The two opposing warriors charged towards each other and leapt into battle. Taichi reached Michael first and swung his fist. His opponent dropped his head quickly and the Qinglongmon Warrior's fist swung harmlessly in the air. Michael quickly slammed both of his fists into Taichi's stomach. He fell over backwards, clutching his stomach. The Baihumon Warrior took a deep breath, and jumped higher into the air, then kick Taichi in the face with both of his feet. To finish off his combination attack, he executed a roundhouse attack, sending Taichi slamming into a wall. He grinned, then charged forward.

Taichi shook his head and ducked at the last moment. Michael's fist smashed into the wall, creating a large dent. The Qinglongmon Warrior leapt into the air and twisted his feet around, kicking the Baihumon Warrior in the stomach. Taichi swung his fists around and began pounding Michael, until the blond young man was able to block one of the brown young man's attacks and break free.

Taichi placed his fists together and fired a blast of energy. "_Kamehameha__!"_

Michael reacted instantly by firing his own energy attack. _"Gallic Gun Fire!"_

The two blasts smashed into each other, sending smaller beams of white energy in all directions.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

"What the hell is going on in here?" Nimrod shouted, running into the complex's control room, as alarms rang and the floors shook.

Recorder's hands were dancing across the keyboard. "It appears that Yagami and another Chosen Warrior….Michael Goodwin of New York City, are fighting each other three floors below, near the Dark Ring factory."

"Why are they fighting each other?"

"Maria Gonzalez is the new Priestess of Baihumon, and she needs the same items that Hikair Yagami needs in order to summon Qinglongmon. Their wishes are different."

Nimrod stared at her. "How do you know all of this?"

"It's my job," she said, "Here, I've got visual."

The Digital Hunter looked up at the screen and saw an image of what appeared to him to be Vegeta and Goku reenacting one of their famous battles. The two Chosen Warriors were fiercely battling one another. Their energy blasts were ricocheting off of one another, tearing through walls and fragile equipment. One blast tore a massive hole in the wall, revealing the Dark Ring factory. Another blast hit a large vat of flammable chemicals, which ignited and caused several small explosions.

"They're going to blow the entire place up!" he shouted.

Tracker glanced at him over her shoulder. "What should we do?"

"Get the hell out of here!" he cried.

"I need my research," Recorder protested.

"Then you stay here and get killed. I'm leaving!" He ran through the tunnels as more alarms began to blast.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Taichi shot forward and slammed his fist into Michael's stomach. The Baihumon Warrior lurched over; a shiny object fluttered out of his shirt, but still around his neck. "The Key!" he gasped. He tried to grab it, but Michael jumped back. The blond warrior began pounding Taichi's face with his fists. He pulled one of his fists back, which began to glow with bright energy. He slammed Taichi's face, sending him dropping into the floor.

Michael dropped to his feet and, before Taichi could react, Michael grabbed hold of his leg and swung him into the metal wall. Do to Michael's enhanced strength; Taichi was torn right through the wall, ripping through wires and sensitive equipment, before emerging on the other side. This caused the small explosions ripping through the base to increased in intensity. The two warriors ignored it and continued battling.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Ken opened his eyes when he heard the blasting sound of loud beeps. "What the heck is going on?"

"The alarms are going off!" Daisuke cried, "And this whole place is shaking!"

"Earthquake?" Sora asked.

"Who cares?" Yamato exclaimed, "We've got to get out of here." He ran over to the door and gently placed his hand over it. It crackled with electricity. "Damn. What can we do about this?"

"We need to blow out the circuit," Ken said, "But with what?" He started glancing around until he focused on the metal benches that were resting on the floor. "Help me lift this up."

Meanwhile, Takeru, Hikari and Noriko had finally found the prison section, and were now running down the hall, glancing at the doors, trying to discover where their friends were being held. When they saw that only one of the doors had a red light lit over it, they decided that that must be the cell their friends were trapped in.

Takeru looked around the door. "I don't see any way to open it. Hmm." He went to touch it, just as the prisoners inside threw the metal table into the other side of the door. The lights in the hall blew out and the alarms ceased. The force of the shock sent Takeru flying into the opposite wall.

"Takeru!" Hikari screamed.

"Are you all right?" Noriko gasped.

The blond boy weakly raised his head. "I can't feel anything….I think I'm gonna be sick…"

"Thank God you were wearing your armor," Noriko said, "That probably saved your life."

When the smoke cleared, Hikari and Noriko peeked inside and saw Daisuke and Ken lying on the ground, with Yamato and Sora barely standing. "What happened?" Hikari shouted.

"We had to break the electric shield," Sora explained, "We tried to overload it, but it backfired and hit us." She fell forward, but used her hands to keep her face from smashing into the floor.

Hikari ran over to her, while Noriko ran over to Yamato, but they pushed them away. "I'm..I'm fine."

"Yeah," Yamato nodded, "Just..just give me a minute."

"We don't have a minute!" Noriko gasped, "Taichi-san is fighting Michael!"

Yamato paled. "Oh no! Did they get the Key?"

"Yeah! How did you…?"

"We'll explain later," Sora said, "Let's go help Taichi." She stood up, but her legs started to wobble.

"I don't think you can help, no offense," Noriko smiled slightly. The entire complex shook as a violent explosion blasted through the halls, "Besides, I think we need to get out of here before this place explodes."

"But Taichi…?" Hikari protested.

"He can take care of himself," Yamato said, "We'll take Daisuke and Ken, you two carry Takeru."

The two girls nodded and lifted the unconscious blond boy onto their backs, while Yamato and Sora carried the two other unconscious boys on their backs. "Now how do we get out of here?" Yamato asked.

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

As the explosions continued to destroy the Digital Hunter Complex, Taichi and Michael continued their fearsome battle. Their battle had now moved into the air, and they were exchanging spectacular physical attacks. After enough pounding and kicking, Michael opened both of his palms and a purple energy began to flow.

"_Gallic Gun Fire!"_ he shouted, once again firing Vegeta's attack. Taichi had no choice but to counteract with his _Kamehameha_ wave. The two attacks once again smashed into each other, trying to destroy the other. Both warriors screamed and tried to overpower each other's beam, but the beams only grew in intensity, with no winner.

"I can't lose this," Taichi whispered to himself, "I need that key! I need to win, right now!"

His _Kamehameha_ beam suddenly grew in intensity and tore through Michael's beam, slamming the blond warrior directly in the face. Taichi shot around like a rocket and cracked his fist across Michael's nose, then shot his knee in his stomach. Michael gasped for breath, then started to fall to the ground. Taichi caught him and ripped the Key of Qinglongmon off of his neck.

Another explosion ripped through the complex. Taichi swung his head around, but saw that every hallway entrance was covered in flames. He glanced to the ceiling, which was still relatively unharmed. He took a deep breath and shot towards the sky.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

The explosions continued to rattle the walls of the Digital Hunter complex, sending pillars of black smoke into the air. Small fires had ignited and were racing around the outside of the building. The Warriors of Baihumon made it to the main entrance, cautiously glancing over their shoulders to see the Warriors of Qinglongmon running right behind them, well, running as best they could being weighed down by their unconscious members.

"M..Maria!" Hikari shouted, "Maria, wait, I need to talk to you!"

"Mimi!" Sora shouted, "Wait, don't run, please!"

Once the rest of the New York team was safely outside, Tatum stopped and turned to stare at the Odabia team.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked.

"I need to give Maria time to get away," the braided-haired girl said, lightly closing her fist, "Besides, Mimi trusts people a little too easily. I don't think Takenouchi should talk to her."

Sam nodded. "If you think that's best."

"Go with the others," Tatum said, "I'll give you enough time."

Sam nodded again. "Good luck." He ran off.

Tatum took a deep breath and changed into her silver armor. "Evolve to.." Cracks began to form and it shattered apart. She was now wearing a white and purple dress, with a purple and white cloth in her hair. She carried an Ocarina in her hands. "…Child Zelda!"

She focused on the Qinglongmon Warriors, who were running straight for her. She placed the ocarina on her lips and began playing a haunting melody. Waves of white energy began to flow from her instrument, covering the hall and preventing the Qinglongmon Warriors from moving any further.

"What's happening?" Hikari asked, "I..I can't move any further."

Noriko narrowed her eyes as she stared at the ocarina-playing Tatum. "It's her, her sound waves are stopping us."

Sora turned to Yamato. "Can you evolve?"

He shook his head, "I can barely keep my eyes open."

"Me too," the redhead said.

Noriko listened to the exchange. She knew that Daisuke, Takeru and Ken could not help, and neither could Yamato and Sora. She would have to do it. She shifted the blond boy onto her Priestess's shoulder. She took a deep breath tried to step through the sound waves, but could not. She pressed further and further, but only moved inches.

"Please," she whispered to herself, "Please, I know I'm not very strong, I'm…I'm probably just a drain on the rest of the team. But…I need to do this! Their counting on me! Please, Qinglongmon, I need to be stronger!"

Her armor suddenly began to crack and shattered. She was now dressed in a simple white dress, a handkerchief around her neck, and long reddish hair.

"She evolved!" Sora gasped, "Who is she?"

"Malon," Yamato answered, "From _The Legend of Zelda_."

Noriko smiled to herself as she stared at Tatum, who was still playing her Ocarina. The former Dark Seed child took a deep breath, and began singing a quick and up-beat song to counteract Tatum's haunting melody. Blue sound waves began to flow from Noriko's mouth, where it began to fighting the white waves from Tatum's instrument.

The two warriors clashed in a battle of sound. Tatum's musical attack grew louder and more powerful, but Noriko met her, note for note. The two opposing sound waves clashed into each other until the blue sound waves from Noriko tore through Tatum's white notes and flung her backwards.

"I..I beat her!" Noriko grinned, "I did it! I beat her!"

Another explosion tore through the complex. "We've got to get out of here," Noriko said.

Hikari stared into the darkness at the end of the tunnel. "Oniichan.."

Another explosion shook the ground. Noriko grabbed Hikari. "Come on, we've got to go."

The Priestess of Qinglongmon nodded and followed her warrior across the green valley. When they arrived at the base of the mountain surrounding the Sleeping Valley, they were greeted with the sight of the Baihumon Warriors.

The two groups stared at each other for a long while, unsure of what to do, until Wallace finally said, "Where's Michael?"

"Where Taichi is!" Noriko shouted, mentioning to the Digital Hunter complex, which was almost completely on fire," If you had just given us that stupid key…"

Yamato, Sora and Hikari were in shock. The quite Noriko had never been so vocal before.

"You shut up!" Wallace shouted, "Look what you did to Tatum!"

"She attacked us!" Noriko protested.

"And you left one of your own inside there!" Wallace continued shouting, "Along with Michael!"

The two groups heard a rustling of wind and looked to the sky to see Taichi flying over head. He landed on the ground and put the injured Michael on the ground. "What happened to him?!" Mimi shouted, kneeling down beside him, "Michael…?"

"He'll be all right," Taichi said.

"How can you be so cold?" Mimi shrieked, "You don't even care!"

Taichi tried to think of something to say, but all he was able to come up with was: "You started this. We needed that Key, but you guys thought you could just steal it! You want to be our enemies, fine!" He turned to Hikari and Noriko, "Let's get out of here."

The Qinglongmon Warriors lifted their unconscious members and continued up the mountain path. Sora and Mimi stared at one another until the red head passed over the mountain top.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Noriko was able to overcome her personal problems, and while I'm truly happy for her, I can't help but think about the New York team. Maria wants to summon Baihumon, and her wishes…they're not the same as mine. If she wants to summon Baihumon, then….then I hate to think it, but she's our enemy. No…no, I won't believe that. Maybe if I could just talk to her, then I could find out why she's doing this. I don't want to fight my friends, I just hope we won't have to.


	6. Chapter V: To Serve the Priestess

When I look back on my adventure as the Priestess of Qinglongmon, I think my most difficult time was after we escaped from the Digital Hunter base in the Sleeping Valley. There would be times afterwards that I felt like giving up; when I would lose the people closest to me, but the hardest emotion I ever had to deal with was betrayal. Maria of the New York Team had become the Priestess of Baihumon, and the rest of the Team became her warriors. They lost their digimon partners to the horror of "The Solution to the Chosen Children Problem," and they were scarred because of it. They wanted to make certain that the Digital World would be sealed away, while I wanted the exact opposite. Only one of us would be able to reach the Temple of the Center and summon our Digital God to grant our wish. Could I really hurt Maria in order to do it?

_""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""_

The Chosen Warriors

_Chapter V:_

_To Serve the Priestess_

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Lord Sentry crossed his arms as he stared up at the giant screen before him. It displayed a flat image of the Digital World's continents with four glowing circles in the four directional points. The circle in the East and the circle in the West had an 'X' over top of them. "What exactly am I looking at?"

Recorder nodded. "Yes, sorry. These are the locations of the four Digital Gods' Temples, according to the scroll that Artemis copied from Hikari Yagami. The Key from the Qinglongmon Temple in the East was already taken, and our sources in the Western section say that the Warriors of Baihumon already got their Key."

"So, only two left, huh?" he asked, rubbing the bottom of his face, "Do we know where the two teams are?"

She pressed a set of buttons and two more circles appeared: a blue one near the southern circle and a white one near the northern circle. "The Qinglongmon Warriors and heading towards the Temple of Zhuqioamon, and the Baihumon Warriors are heading to the Xuwanamon Temple."

"Good," he said," Even though they are rivals, together, they could join forces to drive us off, but separate… Get in touch with Orion and Nimrod, send them after those two teams."

"Yes sir." She reached for a normal phone resting on the console in front of her. After a few moments, she reported to the leader of the Digital Hunters.

"Orion has just come out of the cybernetic capsule."

"Will he be able to complete this mission?"

"He said he is fine and will head for the Baihumon Warriors. Nimrod is on his way to intercept the Qinglongmon Warriors."

Lord Sentry grinned. "Excellent. Excellent."

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Hikari cradled the Key that was resting in her lap. She was surprised at the elegant design of a dragon on the end of key while a mysterious and strange key design at the other end. She gave a small sigh, remembering how difficult it had been to get it. She looked over to where Noriko was once again wrapping bandages around Taichi's wounds.

"I think maybe you should go easy the next time you fight, Oniichan. Remember when we were younger and you'd come home all beaten up from a fight. You didn't want Mom to know you were fighting, so I'd have to clean you up."

"I never got 'beaten up. I won each one, and besides," Taichi said with a slight grin, "I don't think Michael's enjoying himself right now. Serves him right, the traitor."

Hikari glanced at the Key. "So, what do we do now?"

"We need the other Keys," Taichi said.

"Including the one that the New York Team has," Takeru sighed.

"You mean the Baihumon Warriors," Ken clarified.

"Our enemies, "Daisuke growled.

"No, don't say that," Sora said, "I refuse to believe that Mimi is our enemy."

"Sora," Yamato said, "I don't want to believe it either, but…"

"But nothing!" Sora almost shouted, "She's my friend, my friend!"

They were silent for a few moments. Noriko cleared her throat. "I'm sorry Sora, but I have to agree with the others. That one girl, Tatum, was ready to do anything she could to keep us inside that exploding building."

"She's right," Daisuke agreed, "If it wasn't for her, we'd probably all be dead right now."

"I don't want to believe it either," Takeru sighed, "But…"

Sora looked as though she was about to cry. "I can't believe you'd all just turn your backs on our friends!" She turned towards the Priestess of Qinglongmon, "Hikari?"

The brown-haired girl hesitated. "I…I think that maybe, if I could just talk to Maria, maybe…" She sighed.

"Thank you," Sora said. The red-headed girl turned to the others. "I'm glad at least _one_ of us still believes in friendship."

"All right!" Taichi growled, "You made your point. When we see them again, we'll try to get Hikari and Maria together, but for right now, I think we need to plan our next move. Where do we go next?"

Ken mentioned to the Priestess of Qinglongmon. "Hikari, let me see your scroll." She handed it to him and he quickly examined it.

"When we left the Sleeping Valley complex, we traveled due south, so The Key of Zhuqioamon would be the nearest one."

"How far away?" Taichi asked.

Ken sighed lightly as he studied the scroll. "Well, judging from the time we traveled, it might take half a day."

The other warriors all moaned. "Come on," Taichi said, "We've got to get there before the New York Team does."

"It's still half a day," Daisuke whined.

"Don't be such a wimp," the older boy sighed, "Jeeze, I'm older then all of you, and you don't hear me complaining!"

"You're only 16," Sora glared.

"And you'll only older then me and Sora by about a month," Matt said.

"Regardless," he sneered, "Let's get going."

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In another section of the Digital World, the Baihumon Warriors were engaged in a similar discussion. They were not as concerned as the Qinglongmon Warriors, but wondered about their decision to oppose the Odiba Team.

Mimi held her hands in front of her mouth as Steve dressed Michael's injuries. "Yagami sure knows how to fight. Was he a street boxer or something when he was younger?"

"Hikari used to say that he would get beaten up all the time," Mimi replied.

"Well, he obviously got better," Michael sighed.

"He tried to kill you," Tatum pointed out.

"But he was only doing what I was," Michael said, glancing at Maria, "Trying to get the Keys so his Priestess could make her wish."

"Which brings up a very good question," Lou spoke up, "What do we do if…_When_ we meet them again?"

"I'm not going to fight them," Mimi declared.

"I understand your feelings," Wallace said, "I don't really want to fight them either, but we might not have a choice."

Tatum glared at him. "Don't forget what that Kawada witch did to me."

"You attacked her first," Steve pointed out.

"Stop fighting!" Maria shouted. The others were shocked, she rarely, if ever, exhibited such an outburst, especially of anger. "I don't want you to fight each other. We're all we have left now. We lost our partners…even our parents…We're all we have left."

"You're right," Micheal said, "As soon as I can walk again, we're going to the Key of Xuwanamon."

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The Qinglong Warriors had arrived in the southern section of the Digital World, where the Temple housing the Key of Zhuqioamon was located. There were small conversations through the group, with Taichi and Hikari silent in the rear. The Yagami siblings watched and listened to the others, happy that, even though their team had lost their partners, most of them had lost their parents to the "Solution to the Chosen Children Problem," and now their were fighting their friends from New York, but they were still able to laugh and relax. Even quiet Noriko was laughing at Daisuke's jokes.

Hikari stared at the younger Goggle wearing boy. She watched the way he laughed, she watched the way that he walked with confidence, she especially stared at his smile. Her older brother stared slightly at her. "Hikari?"

"What?" she asked. When he did not answer, she turned to look at him, but saw him giving her a slight smile. "What?"

"Looking at something interesting?"

Hikari started to blush. "N..no one. I mean, nothing."

"Who is it?" he asked, "Takeru, Daisuke or Ken?"

"T..Taichi!" she gasped.

"Come on," he said, "I'm your older brother, you really think that I don't know that you have a crush on one of them. Now who is it?"

His little sister continued to blush. "What would you do if I told you?"

"Probably beat the living snot out of him," he replied.

She gasped. "Taichi?"

He sighed deeply. "Maybe not, but the thought of my sweet little sister in the arms of some guy looking to score makes me so pissed off that…"

"You can't protect me forever," she said, "I'm growing up, and since when did you become so sage-like? You're acting like you've had years of experience, but…" She smiled slightly, "All you've had is plenty of girlfriends."

"That was a low blow," he said, "All right, maybe I haven't really had a lot of long-term relationships…"

"None."

He stared at her. "Fine, but that just means I know what guys are really thinking and what they really want. If you don't want to tell me yet, fine, but if he ever hurts you, I'll kick his ass."

Hikari laughed. "You sound just Dad does…" Her smile faded. "_Did."_

Taichi looked at her again. "Hikari?"

"Mom and Dad are gone," she said, "Just like Tailmon and Agumon. It was easy to forget about Mom and Dad when we escaped here, because our digimon are usually with us, but…we can't ignore it forever. Mom and Dad are dead, it's just you and me, Oniichan."

Taichi wrapped his arms around her shoulder. "Don't worry, little sister, I won't let anything happen to you. I'll protect you until the day I die.

"Don't say that," Hikari said, "I don't want to think about what I'd do if _you_ weren't here either."

"Hey, Taichi!" Daisuke shouted from the head of the group.

"What?"

Daisuke lightly scratched the back of his head. "Um, this is kinda embarrassing…"

"What?" he asked again.

"I'm lost."

"That's just perfect," the older boy sighed, "Hikari, I need your scroll again. All right guys, let's take a break."

Everyone gave a sigh of relief and Hikari watched as Ken, Taichi and Daisuke huddled together over her scroll. She walked over to one of the many boulders littering the wasteland and sat down. Takeru joined her a second later.

"What were and Taichi talking about?" he asked, "You seemed a little upset."

She shrugged. "Oniichan doesn't like the face that I'm growing up and starting to have feelings for…someone."

The blond boy smiled warmly. "Is this the same 'someone' as before?"

She blushed. "Maybe."

Takeru chuckled. "And you're still not going to tell me, huh?"

She did not answer.

"You know, maybe you should. After all, I might be able to help you."

Hikari hesitated for a few minutes before nodded. "All right. It's…It's Daisuke."

Takeru nodded. "I knew it, I knew it." He shrugged. "Well, you could do worse."

"You really think so?" she asked.

"Sure," he said, "You could be in love with Yamato."

She laughed slightly.

Takeru took a deep breath. "Well, I do have some advice for you. I think that you need to tell him, let him know how you really feel."

"I..I don't know if I can," she said, "What if…what if he doesn't feel the same way that I do?"

He gave her a strange look. "Come on, Hikari, he was almost obsessed with you for more than a year."

"You're probably right," she said, "But…"

Takeru smiled again. "Don't wait too long. With all that's going on right now, who knows how long we might have. I don't mean to sound so pessimistic, but you should grab your chance at happiness as soon as you can."

She stared straight into Takeru's eyes and smiled broadly. _"How could Taichi ever think that I loved Takeru in a romantic way. He's always been like a brother to me, giving us all advice, and now he's giving me advice about Daisuke. And even if I did have romantic feelings for Takeru, I would never want to destroy this relationship we have right now."_

She nodded. "Thank you Takeru."

"I think I should thank you," he said, "I mean, after "The Solution to the Chosen Children Problem," we lost everything, our families, our partners, we almost lost ourselves, but then you became the Priestess of Qinglongmon, and we became your Warriors. Suddenly, we had a new mission, to protect you. I can't tell you how that's made me feel, fighting _for_ someone is great."

Hikari blushed even more. "You're embarrassing me."

"It's the truth, you're our light in this time or darkness," he replied, "But I think you need to tell Daisuke."

She looked over where Daisuke pointed towards a direction further in the wasteland and Taichi slapping him on the back. "I will," she said, "I have to."

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While the Qinglongmon Warriors were journeying through the south, their counterparts were traveling through the northern section of the Digital World, through a rich and green forests. As they moved closer to the northern elevations, the temperature began to drop, and small amounts of frost were starting to appear on the trees. Sam cautiously moved up alongside Tatum. "Um, can I ask you something?"

"What?" she asked.

He lowered his voice. "Why are you so eager to fight the Qinglongmon Warriors?"

She took a deep breath. "Because they are trying to stop Maria from summoning Baihumon. It's our mission to protect her and make sure that she makes her wishes. I'll fight anyone who threatens her."

"But why?" he asked.

"On the day the "Solution to the Chosen Children Problem," happened, the rest of you, and probably the Odabia Team, were already hiding when your parents were killed, a misguided attempt by the scientists of the Digital Hunter to cleanse the 'gene pool.' Me? I was there, I watched Airdramon get killed, and then watched as they killed my parents, brutally tearing them apart before my eyes. They tried to break me, hoping that I would tell them were you were hiding. I didn't, I escaped, leaving my parents dead bodies lying there. I wanted to save them, but I couldn't."

The younger boy stared with mouth wide open. "I…I didn't…I'm sorry."

She nodded. "Thank you, but you should be apologizing to the Odabia Team."

"Why?"

"Because they're going to regret trying to stop us. I will do anything to protect Maria, and make sure we win." She turned to look at him. "What about you?"

He shrugged. "I guess I'm just like the others, I want to make sure that nothing like "The Solution," ever happens again." His eyes almost burned with raw, red fire. "Those Digital Hunters are just bullies! Murderous, self-serving, bigotry bullies! They need to pay! I don't want to hurt the Odabia Team, but I have to agree with you, if they want to stand in our way, they we'll have to stop them."

Tatum nodded. "The problem is, we may be only ones who are ready to do what ever it takes to make sure Maria makes her wishes."

"Wallace is on the line," Sam said, "and it won't be long before Michael, Lou and Steve feel the same way we do."

"Mimi is the problem," Tatum said, "She's still friends with Takenouchi and the others. I just hope she realizes that only one side can win."

"Hey," Steve said, "I think we're here."

The Baihumon Warriors stopped before a large stone building, very similar to the building where they found the Key of Baihumon. "Yes, I believe this is the right place," Maria said.

Michael smiled. "All right, let's go inside." He took a step forward, but stopped short when a metal arrow smashed into the ground inches before his foot. He shot his head around and stared in the direction the arrow came from. He saw a man dressed in metal armor standing atop one of the trees.

"Greetings," he said, "My name is Orion, and I am the second-in-command of the Digital Hunters."

"What are you doing here?" Tatum shouted, "Haven't you done enough damage?"

"To you, not a chance," he grinned. "I'm here to stop you from getting the Key you want."

"Why?" Maria asked, "That Key doesn't have any value to you."

"That's where you're wrong," he said, "We know about the power those Keys have to make wishes, and we have a few of our own."

The Baihumon Warriors jumped into a circle and Michael grabbed Maria and threw her into the center. "All right team," Michael shouted, "Armor up!"

Each one of the Baihumon Warriors quickly changed into their Digital Armor: light blue for Michael, purple for Wallace, white for Steve, pink for Mimi, dark yellow for Lou, bright red for Sam and sliver for Tatum.

Orion chuckled. "Am I supposed to be surprised by that?"

"We're not through yet," Wallace exclaimed, "Evolve again!"

Each one of their armors began to crack, finally exploding in a burst of light. Michael stood, dressed as Vegeta, and Tatum was dressed as Child Zelda.

Wallace now wore a suit of dark armor and carried a long spear. "Kain!" he shouted, changing into Kain from _Final Fantasy VII._

Steve was now dressed in a pair of black pants and a grey sweatshirt. He had a bandana around his head and carried an umbrella. "Ryouga!"

Mimi wore a blue and white dress. "Chung-Li!"

Lou was now wearing a pair of blue pants, a white shirt, black vest and carried a pair of daggers at his side. Most surprisingly, he had a tail behind him. "Zidane!" He was now Zidane from _Final Fantasy IX._

Sam was dressed in a pair of white pants, a loose, red sleeveless shirt and carried a sword, a familiar character from _Escaflowne. _"Van!"

He clicked his fingers. Instantly, the ground began to shake as an army of Drimogemons burst out of the ground, each one wearing a Dark Ring on their arms.

The Digital Hunter laughed. "As you can see, I am not alone. Drimogemons, attack!"

"Tatum and Sam, protect Maria," Michael ordered, "The rest of you, let's go."

"And remember," Mimi said, "Don't hurt them, just try to get those Dark Rings off of them.

The Irish-American girl and the African-American boy leapt in front of their Priestess as the others leapt into battle. Michael began to pummel one of the digimon with the fury of his fists, aiming for the black ring that was squeezing into his arm. Wallace swung his long spear out before him, using his weapon to keep the sharp point of Drimogemon's drill safely away from him while he attempted to knock the Dark Ring off. Steve was using the similar strategy using his long umbrella. Lou would have used his daggers, except they were not long enough. The drill would have done its damage by the time he was close enough to actually use the daggers. So he tried to use his new-found agility in order to dodge the drill and try to get close enough to remove the Dark Ring. Mimi was having the most luck, using her _Kiyoken _attack to simply blast the Dark Ring off of the captured Drimogemon.

"Should we help them?" Sam asked.

"No," Tatum said, "We need to protect Maria, it's what we're here for."

"But I'm okay," Maria said, "I think the others need your help more."

"Sorry," she said, "But we can't."

Maria glanced towards the building. "What if…?"

"Don't worry," Wallace shouted back, swinging his spear into one of the rings, causing it to shatter and freeing the Drimogemon, "We're doing fine. Just stay there in case."

_"Kiyoken!" _Mimi placed her palms together and fired a blast of blue energy, bringing her entire body forward in the process. The energy slammed into the ring, cracking it. "You're free!" she grinned, "Hurry up and leave."

Steve was exhibiting remarkable agility for his side, and managed to leap near the Drimogemon and smash his umbrella into the Dark Ring before the drills would have torn through him. "This isn't as bad as I thought. I still wish Frigamon was here."

As the battle continued, Michael had already defeated enough Drimogemons when he glanced upwards. He saw Orion, still standing in the braches of the tree, grinning at the battle below him. Michael pointed both of his palms at the Digital Hunter and fired a stream of purple energy at him. "_Gallic Gun Fire!"_

Orion noticed the attack and easily leapt out of the way, he glared at the Baihumon Warrior.

"Michael?" Mimi asked, "What are you doing?"

"Keep fighting," he ordered, "I'm going to to handle this guy!" He leapt into the air and used his flying ability to shoot up to the Digital Hunter. Orion grinned with amusement.

"You really think you are a match for me?" he asked.

Michael swung a fist at his opponent's face. "Did you really think those Drimogemons were gonna stop us?"

"Point taken," he replied, easily avoiding the Baihumon Warrior's jab, "But you're still not going to defeat me. I'm far more powerful then you. Observe." He grabbed Michael's hand and threw him around, slamming him into the tree trunk.

"Michael!" Mimi shouted. She fired another _Kiyoken_ at Orion, but the hunter easily batted it back towards her. She would have been hit with her own attack, except Steve jumped in front of her and used his open umbrella to block it. Unfortunately, the impact still sent the two of them into one of the trees littering the area.

Lou and Wallace finished off the last of the Dark Rings and stood ready to assist Michael, who was still trying his best to fight Orion. "We can't fly, so how are we supposed to get up there?"

"I'll take care of it," Wallace said. He knelt down before leaping high into the air. He hovered in the sky for a moment before bringing both of his feet slamming down onto the back of Orion's head, making him release Michael and slamming him into the ground. The Digital Hunter leapt back onto his feet, facing Michael, Wallace, Lou, Mimi and Steve.

"All right," he said, standing, "I'll destroy you all!"

He leapt forward and executed a spinning attack, hitting the back of his fists into Michael and Lou's faces. Wallace firmly placed his feet onto the ground and held up his spear. Once the Digital Hunter hit it, he acted like a bicycle with a branch in its wheel. Orion spun around in the opposite direction before falling onto his back. He jumped back onto his feet, but Mimi was ready with a flurry of fierce leg kicks into Orion's entire body. Steve smashed him in the face with his umbrella. Lou leapt into the sky and brought both of his daggers into the Digital Hunter's shoulders, and Michael finished off the attack combo with his _"Gallic Gun."_

Orion stumbled for a few moments. He was about to start fighting again, but stopped when Maria shouted out to him. "Stop!"

"Maria, what are you doing?" Mimi asked.

The young Hispanic girl stepped forward, with Tatum and Sam on either side of her. She held up the Key of Xuwanamon. "I snuck inside to take the Key while you were fighting. Here, this is what you wanted, right?"

"What are you doing?" Lou whispered.

Orion stared at the Priestess of Baihumon strangely. "Why are you offering it to me?"

"Because I don't want to see my friends hurt anymore," she said, "but, is this really worth it?"

"What do you mean?"

"I know you want this Key, that's what you came here for, but you look really hurt. I'm sure if you keep fighting, my Warriors might win, do you really want that?"

Orion hesitated. She was right; he was feeling the affects of the battle. He was too arrogant when he told Recorder he was fine. The cybernetic capsule repairs and energizes his cybernetic components, but leaves his organic side weak. If he had waited until he was at full strength, he would have won easily. Even now, it was taking all he could to stay on his two feet.

He relaxed. "Very well. Just remember, the next time we meet, I _will_ win, understand?"

Maria nodded. "We will deal with that at that time."

The Digital Hunter gave the Baihumon Warriors a final stare before flying into the air and disappearing over the horizon.

"Don't ever do that again," Michael said, staring at Maria, "What if he decided to take it? He could have killed you!"

"I don't believe he would," she said, "Besides, I may be the Priestess of Baihumon, but I won't allow you to treat me like a child that needs to be protected all the time."

The others were silent for a moment before Mimi stepped forward. "You're right," she said, "I guess because you're the youngest, it was just my instinct to treat you like a child. I'm sorry, but please believe me when I say that we don't want anything to happen to you. As the Baihumon Warriors, it is our mission to protect you, always."

"And I thank you for it," she smiled.

"I have a question," Steve said, "How do we get the other two Keys?"

"I don't want to think about that right now," Maria said, "Why don't we try to get the Digital Codex? Then we'll worry about the other two Keys."

Michael nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me."

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Daisuke grinned. "Finally, we made it."

"_Despite _your leadership," Ken sighed.

"Hey, that was a scenic route," he smiled. Behind him, Hikari grinned. The way that nothing seemed to ever bother him and the way that he always seemed to find a positive spin on conflicts always brought a smile to her face.

"I'm glad we're finally here," Takeru said, whipping his forehead, "I think I just sweated off five pounds."

"You've never looked better," Sora said.

The group was silent for another few moments as they stared up at the ancient building situated in the center of a barren wasteland. "Well," Takeru said, "Let's go in."

The Qinglongmon Warriors silently walked up the stairs and entered through the small door. The inside consisted of nothing more then a simple room, with an alter, containing the Key.

"Wow, that was easy," Daisuke commented.

"Maybe we're finally getting a break," Yamato said.

"Who cares," Takeru said, "We're do we go now?"

"The Digital Codex," Hikari said, "That's we're we need to go."

Taichi nodded. "Sounds good to me. But I think I should take the lead this time."

"What?" Daisuke asked, "No one likes my interpretations of the map?"

A few hours after the Qinglongmon Warriors had left the area, Nimrod arrived. After examining the inside of the building, he swore to himself. He brought out his communicator. "Recorder? It's Nimrod. I'm at the location of the Zhuqioamon Key. It's gone. The Qinglongmon Warriors must have already been here and gone."

"Lord Sentry's not going to be happy about this," Recorder said.

"Yeah, I figured that," he sighed, "I'll be back as soon as I can."

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We may have been given a break, getting the Key of Zhuqioamon without any trouble, but I knew our problems were only beginning. We were now heading towards the Mountain of Gold, where the Digital Codex is supposedly hidden: and if we're able to get that book, we still need the other two Keys, which I'm sure the Baihumon Warriors have gotten by now. We will have to fight them in order to get those Keys, and I'm still not sure I can. Then I have my own personal problems: trying to build up enough courage to tell Daisuke how I really feel about him. Takeru told me to do it before it's too late. I just hope I have the strength to tell him. I just hope I have the strength to be the savior the others think I am. I wonder if Maria is feeling the same way?


	7. Chapter VI: The Hunt for the Books of th...

Miyako used to tell me that when she was younger she used to wish that she was an only child, and she was the youngest of four children. I can surely sympathize with her, because there were times I felt the same. The Yagami family may have only been four, but we were cramped into a tiny apartment, with only one bathroom, one living room, and only two bedrooms. It was hard enough having to share a room with an older brother, I can image in nightmares sharing a room with an older sister. Of course, imagining Taichi as a girl is funny.

Because of the close corners we were forced to live in, I was not able to have a place that I could run to and hide whenever I did not want to particularly see my family. So, I found a way to make due with what I did have. I could escape, mentally, not physically, to another place. It is slightly embarrassing, but especially when I was younger, I loved romance magnas. I could sit in my bed and read about the adventures of two people in love for hours. That is probably why I had a tendency to favor Takeru more, even though he was not the one that I had feelings towards. I imagined myself as the heroine of a romance story, waiting for my true love to come, but I quickly grew out of that, as most young girls do. Unfortunately, my real life has quickly become a rival to any novel, show, or movie that I could have ever imagined, and once again I'm longing for my one and only true love.

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The Chosen Warriors

_Chapter VI:_

_The Hunt for the Book of the Gods_

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Hikari sighed deeply as she stared up at the morning sky. The other Qinglongmon Warriors were busy setting up their campsite for their morning meal. She had wanted to help, but the others insisted that she rest. They were all starting to become too comfortable with the Priestess and Warriors/Servant roles. She could understand Taichi; after all, when they were younger, her Oniichan would often do the chores that requirement more work: like taking out the trash, or bringing the laundry to the wash room. Of course, she'd then have to actually _do_ the laundry, but it was just something she had gotten to expect from him. Daisuke did not really surprise her that much either. She knew that he had a crush on her for the longest time, so it just might be his way of trying to express that.

She sighed, staring at the ground. She knew that Daisuke had feeling for her, why was it so hard for her to tell him how _she_ felt? Every time she tried, she just could not make the words sound the way she wanted them. How much longer could she hold this inside?

She glanced over and saw Daisuke and Taichi rubbing sticks together in order to create a fire. She could remember when all they needed to start a fire in the Digital World was Agumon. She wondered if her brother was remembering the same thing.

She turned to the other side and saw Sora and Noriko preparing some of the food they had stolen from the Digital Hunter Complex in the Sleeping Valley before they escaped. Although it was surprising to her to see Sora doing anything like food preparation, it just did not seem like something the red-headed young woman would be doing. She saw Sora smile broadly and nodded. "Okay everyone, breakfast is served."

The Priestess of Qinglongmon rose from where she had been sitting on the fallen tree stump and walked over. She smelled the scent of fresh fruit and smiled. "This smeels great, but where did you get it? I thought the Digital Hunters didn't have anything like that."

"They didn't," Sora smiled slightly, "Noriko and I thought it would be better if we saved that food until we got somewhere we really needed it." She mentioned to the forest around her, "We can just pick our food right off the trees."

Hikari nodded but, then frowned. "I still wish you would have let me help."

"Hey, you got a free break, enjoy it," Taichi said. He grabbed a cut apple from Noriko's side of the large plate. "Pretty good."

Noriko blushed. "Thank you."

The Qinglongmon Warriors sat down around the campfire and began to eat. "So how far is it until we get the Digital Codex?" Yamato asked.

Ken answered. "According to Hikari's scroll, if we just keep walking through the forest, we should reach the Mountains of Gold tomorrow morning."

"That's great," Daisuke said, "Then we just need to get the two keys that the Baihumon Team has, and Hikari'll be able to make her wishes."

At the mention of the Baihumon Warriors, a quiet hush fell over the group. They were silent for a few minutes before Hikari said, "You know, I keep thinking that maybe if I can just _talk_ to Maria, then maybe we won't have to fight each other."

"Talk to her?" Taichi gasped, "Do you remember what Michael did to me? Or how about the fight between Noriko and Tatum, huh? Didja forget about that?"

The others stared at him. He sighed deeply. "I'm sorry, I just…"

"We all feel betrayed," Takeru finally said, "Especially by Mimi."

"Don't say that!" Sora shouted, "She's _not_ our enemy, and I refuse to believe that she is!"

"Sora," Yamato said, "We all want to believe that but…"

"But nothing!" she shouted, "I am not going to fight her, and that is that!"

"We're all going to have to," Taichi sighed, "Sooner or later."

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

The Digital Hunters had bases set up all across the Digital World, the better to launch their attacks against the Chosen Children. Inside the Server Desert base, Lord Sentry stood in the main command room with Orion, Nimrod and Recorder. He mentioned to the blond-haired young woman, who entered a few commands into the computer. The screens changed to an overhead view of the Digital World, focusing on a large mountain that glowed a bright bronze in the morning light.

"According to Yagami's scroll that we copied," Lord Sentry said, "This is the Mountain of Gold. Here is where we'll find the Digital Codex."

"Wait a second," Nimrod said, "Why do we have to get that book? Shouldn't we be focusing on Project Sleeper?"

"We can't let Yagami or Maria Gonzalez make their wishes. It could be very bad for us," Lord Sentry continued, "Recorder, show us where both teams of Chosen are."

She nodded and started to type. "Just be warned that this isn't an exact location; just my best guess as to where they were last seen, allowing for walking time, and other factors like that."

She pressed enter and the overhead map now displayed two glowing circles: one blue and one white. Both were quite a distance from the mountain.

"They're probably about a day away," Orion said, "We might be able to get there before they do."

Lord Sentry grinned. "Exactly what I was thinking."

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

The Qinglongmon Warriors had walked for a few hours before deciding that it was time for a rest. Taichi was leaning back against a tree, his hands crossed behind his back and he has his eyes closed.

"Oniichan?"

He opened one eye slightly in order to see Hikari standing next to him. "I'm sorry if I woke you," she said, "But I really need to talk to you about something."

He glanced at her strangely. "Like what?"

She sighed. "Remember yesterday when I was talking to you about the person that I have feelings for?"

"Yeah?"

She sighed again. "It's Daisuke."

"Daisuke?" he asked. He was silent for a few moments, then nodded. "All right, if that's who you want."

She eyed him suspiciously. "Are you telling me that you're okay with this?"

He shrugged. "Like you said yesterday, you're growing up. And maybe part of me was jealous that you've already found someone you're in love with while I haven't."

She smiled and hugged him. "I know you'll find the perfect girl."

"So, why'd you want to tell me who you were in love with anyway?" he asked, "You want my blessing? Well you've got it. I just can't wait for you to make your wish, then hopefully we'll be able to get back to Earth, and you and Daisuke can live together in peace."

"It's weird to hear you talk like that."

"Like what?"

She half smiled. "Wanting a fight to be over so quickly. I don't think I ever seen you as happy as when you're leading in a crisis." She shrugged, "I guess it's just what you were born to do."

"You're that important to me." He smiled, "Ya know, I can still remember the first day Mom and Day brought you home from the hospital. I was waiting in the apartment with Grandma when Mom and Dad brought you home."

_ Two-year-old Taichi hid behind the couch as he watched his mother and father walk inside. He could see a small bundle in his mother's arms, one that she was cradling next to her chest. His parents were busy talking to his grandmother, and his mother sat down on the couch. His father smiled when he finally found him._

_ "There you are sport." He placed a hand on Taichi's shoulder, "Come on, there's someone who's waiting to see you."_

_ He led Taichi around to the front of the couch where his mother was waiting. Mrs. Yagami smiled as she gently lowered the bundle so Taichi could see. "This is your new sister, Hikari."_

_ "Hikari?" he asked. He stared at the baby girl, who giggled when she saw him._

_ His father knelt down and looked at Taichi's face. "Now son, listen up, you're the big brother now, your mother and I expect you to be nice to Hikari and take care of her, understand?"_

_ "Big brother," he nodded. He looked at Hikari and smiled, "Hikari, little sister."_

Taichi smiled as he stared at his little sister. "So, if I was born to do anything, it is to be your older brother." He placed a hand on her shoulder, "And I hope you tell Daisuke soon, because you deserve it."

"Thanks, Taichi."

After their breakfast, they began their journey again, walking through the lush forests. Hikari stood between the other seven warriors, a security system that Taichi and Daisuke thought was the best to protect her. They walked in relative silence until they arrived at a small grass covered mesa that required them to actually climb up the side. They did so without much trouble, surprisingly. It was the shock they received when they arrived on the top, the Baihumon Warriors were waiting for them.

"You!" Taichi and Michael both shouted at the same time.

The two teams of warriors lined up, each one staring intensely at the other. Maria and Hikari were forced behind the warrior wall, but they pushed forward the stared at each other. "Maria," Hikari said, "Are you sure that this is what you really want?"

"What makes what I want so much different then you?" she asked.

"I want everyone to have their own digimon partners," she said, "I want acceptance; you want to hide us away!"

"The world's not ready yet for everyone to have digimon partners," Maria explained, "Especially if people like the Digital Hunters are allowed to exist."

"Why don't you stop talking and just give us the key you have?" Wallace ordered.

"You're not getting our keys," Ken said.

"Oh, you have two of them?" Lou asked, "Well, so do we. Now, just give us your keys so Maria can summon Baihumon."

"Not a chance," Takeru said, "You give us your keys!"

"Forget it!" Lou shouted.

"You want to make this difficult?" Taichi sneered, "Fine! Qinglongmon Warriors, Evolve!"

Michael turned to his own team. "Baihumon, evolve!"

Both teams quickly changed into their armors, before their armors cracked and changed into their next forms: Taichi into Goku, Daisuke into Serge from _Chrono Cross_, Yamato into Seiji from_ Samurai Troopers, _Sora into Sailor Venus, Takeru into Squall from _Final Fantasy VIII, _Ken into Yugi, and Noriko into Malon from _The Legend of Zelda._

Michael's team quickly did the same, changing into their next levels: Michael into Vegeta, Wallace into Kain from _Final Fantasy IV,_ Ryoga from _Ranma ½, _Mimi into Chung Li from _Street Fighter, _Zidane from _Final Fantasy IX,_ Sam into Van from _Escaflowne, _and Tatum into Child Zelda.

Both teams stared at one another for a second before charging forward. Each one simply attacked the person they were staring at, except for Michael and Taichi and Noriko and Tatum. Both characters from _Dragonball Z_ clashed as if they truly were the people they were pretending to be. They shot into the sky, and each punch brought them further and further away from being able to reconcile their differences. Wallace and Daisuke clashed their weapons together, while not too far away, Lou and Takeru were doing the same thing with their weapons. Tatum and Noriko were screaming sound waves at one another, while Ken had summoned his Black Magician and he was currently throwing Black Magic Attacks, which Sam deflected with his swords. Even Hikari and Maria were casting glances at one another. The only two that were not fighting, were Mimi and Sora.

The two teenage girls just stared at each other as the battle continued around them. "I don't want to fight you," Mimi said, "Can't you just please give us the two keys?"

"Why can't you give us yours?" Sora asked. "I don't want to fight you either, can't we just exist together?"

"I want to," she said, "I really do, but only one of our Priestesses can make their wish."

Sora sighed. "So what do we do now?"

Around them, the battle continued. Takeru swung his sword at Lou, who blocked easily with his twin daggers. The American Indian caught Takeru's blade between his daggers and threw him off to the side.

Yamato swung his sword at Steve, but the American male used Ryoga's trademark umbrella to block it. Yamato swung again, but Steve easily blocked it. Yamato quickly realized that his opponent knew how to block so easily because he kept swinging his sword from the same side. Yamato switched hands and swung his sword from the other side. Steve jumped back at the last second, narrowly missing a serious injury. He frowned and then leapt into the air, planting his index and middle fingers from his dominant hand into the ground.

"Breaking Point!"

The ground beneath Yamato collapsed into a mess of rubble. Yamato lost his balance and fell onto his back. He shot his head to the sky and saw that Steve had once again leapt into the air, this time his trajectory was going to have him land right onto of Yamato, with the sharp end of his umbrella implanted somewhere within the blond boy's body.

"Yamato!" Sora shouted. She pointed her fingers and fired a glowing object. "Crescent Beam!"

Her attack sped towards Ryoga, intending to hit him in the back in order to save Yamato. However, her boyfriend leapt up at the last second and kicked Steve into the ground. Unfortunately, Sora's attack was heading straight towards Yamato. The blond warrior instinctively batted it away with a swipe of his sword. Sora's attack twisted and flipped in the air until it slammed into the ground directly before Maria. The Priestess of Baihumon was thrown backwards, where she landed on the ground, hard.

"Uh oh," Sora said, her face pale. She looked over at Mimi, who gave Sora an evil glance before running over to the injured priestess.

Above them, Michael stared at the scene below them. "Maria!"

Taichi glanced over his shoulder. "What happ-ugh!" He would have finished his sentence in the correct way if Michael had not sucker punched him in the face. Michael flew down to meet Mimi as she ran over to examine the young girl. The other Baihumon Warriors instantly leapt away from their battles and ran to Maria's side.

"Maria, are you okay" Mimi asked, kneeling down beside her.

"I'll be okay," she said, smiling weakly.

Tatum glared at the Qinglongmon Warriors. "You will pay for this, just wait."

"Tatum!" Michael shouted. He stared directly at Taichi, then at Hikari, an icy glare that seemed to say, 'If you want to attack us like this, then your Priestess is open game.'

Instead of speaking, he mentioned to the other warriors. "Let's get out of here." He gently lifted Maria, then the Baihumon Warriors disappeared down the side of the mesa. The Qinglongmon Warriors returned to their normal human forms.

"What happened?" Daisuke demanded.

Sora kept her head low. "It..it was my fault, my attack."

"It was my fault," Yamato confused, "I wasn't paying, I just batted the attack away, I didn't even try to see where it might go."

"So they think we actually tried to attack Maria?" Taichi asked, "Just great."

"They already aren't too fond of us," Ken sighed, "What are we going to do now?"

"I need to apologize," Hikari said, "That might be the only to stop this!"

"It wasn't your fault," Daisuke said.

"We've got to do something though," she sighed.

Taichi thought for a few moments. "Okay, we need that Digital Codex, right? Let's just keep going and hopefully when we run into them again we'll be able to work them out." He sighed, "Now, let's just keep going."

_""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""_

Sometimes I really wish that my life was like a magna or anime. It would be so simple then: the goods guys would win and the bad guys would loose, and true love would live at the end. However, this isn't a story, it's real, with real consequences. Maria was hurt because of our mistakes, and now we might never be friends with the New York Team, at least in the way we were before. I can only hope that the right side wins in the end.


	8. Chapter VII: The Book of the Gods: The D...

I was once jealous of Sora and Yamato, jealous of the love they shared, but no more. I now have that love, a true love that fills me and gives me strength. Even as I remember this adventure, evens as I recall these thoughts, even as I transcribe these memories. Years later, he is here, smiling and watching over my shoulder. We have been together since that day I finally confessed my feelings to him. He has stood by me as we lost those closest to us, our family and friends gone, but he was there. I would have broken if not for Daisuke, my only love.

Oddly enough, the time when I finally told him was also the time that the Qinglongmon Warriors would almost give up everything for me: everything that we worked for in exchange for me. Sora lost her friendship with Mimi, and we crossed the point of no return with the Baihumon Warriors. Our closest friends, were now our enemies.

_""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""_

The Chosen Warriors

_Chapter VII:_

_The Book of the Gods: The Digital Codex_

_""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""_

The Qinglongmon Warriors stopped for a small reprieve as they stood atop a mountain ridge, glowing a bright yellow light in the daylight sun. "So," Takeru said, placing a hand over her eyes in an attempt to keep the sun out of his eyes. "These are the fabled Mountains of Gold, huh?"

"That's right," Ken said, "I once heard about these mountains, rumor has it that the rocks have properties similar to gold, that's why it glows like that."

"You mean the entire mountain is made of gold?" Daisuke asked. He smiled slyly, "Hey, if this mission doesn't work out, maybe we can buy our freedom, right?"

"Daisuke!" Hikari gasped.

"Sorry," he said, sheepishly, "I was just trying to make a joke. Everyone looks so serious."

"It's a stressful time," Yamato said. He sighed. "All right, so now that we're here, what do we do?"

Hikari removed the scroll from her pocket. "To locate the Digital Codex, journey to the Mountains of Gold, and seek out the stone goddess that watches over the land. The power of the sun and the moon shall light the way."

"Stone goddess?" Noriko asked.

"Probably a statue or something," Taichi said. He stared at the mountain range before his eyes, "But where?"

"I guess we'd better start searching, huh?" Sora said, a depressed expression on her face.

Taichi glanced over at the small group. He counted off by two, splitting the group into four small groups. "I know Yamato and Sora want to be together, how about Hikari and Takeru and Daisuke and Ken?"

Takeru shrugged. "That's fine."

"No problem," Daisuke said.

Taichi nodded. He turned to Noriko and smiled, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "That leaves you and me. Come on."

"Okay, Taichi-san," she said, trailing behind him.

The group quickly separated and started to search the massive mountain before them. Hikari and Takeru climbed up a path near the center of the mountain that twisted through a myriad of caves and tunnels. "So," the blond boy said, "Have you told Daisuke how you feel yet?"

She sighed. "Not yet. It's kind of hard when you're constantly running for your life, and it's all your fault. How can I even say something like that to him? He probably hates me."

Takeru stared at her in shock. "How can you even say something like that? I can think of more then just a few times when we were running for our lives."

"Yeah, but how many times have you all been in danger because of me?"

The blond boy simply stared at her. She glanced to the ground. "Sorry. Sometimes…I…I try to forget."

"No problem." He walked over and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "But listen to me, Daisuke does _not_ hate you, none of us do. We all chose this path: you may be the Priestess of Qinglongmon, but we are your warriors. It's our job to protect you and fight _for_ you. None of us would be here if we didn't want to do this." He smiled. "Talk to Daisuke, I don't think you'll regret it."

Taichi and Noriko were walking through a very narrow path near the left side of the massive hill. The younger girl trailed behind him, as if she was debating whether to stare at the back of his head or keep her gaze on the ground. She thought back to the time when she was still acting under the influence of the Dark Seed, when she treated the world as if it was not even worth her attention. The Chosen Children were just trying to help her, and she nearly attacked them. How could they even stand to be around her?

She then remembered her partner, Snow Agumon. Once she received that white dinosaur, they were inseparable. She became the friends Noriko desperately needed, and now she was gone, destroyed simply because of who she was. It wasn't fair!

Taichi raised his head when he heard the sound of crying. He turned around and saw that Noriko was sobbing, but attempting to hide it. "Noriko?"

"I..I'm sorry Taichi-san," she sniffled, "I'm okay, we can still keep looking."

"No, you're not okay." Due to their height differences, the older boy had to kneel down in order to be at eye-level with her. "What's wrong?"

She hesitated, not wanting to bother him. She stared at his face through tear strained eyes and finally broke down, displaying the first signs of emotion Taichi had seen from her "I was so mean to you when the Dark Seed controlled me, you should hate me! I want to help you make Hikari's wishes come true, but I know I'm not very strong! Mostly, I just miss Snow Agumon!"

Taichi waited until the younger girl was finished before speaking. "Well, Noriko, we know that you were being controlled by the Dark Seed, and you _are_ helping to make Hikari's wishes true. If it wasn't for you, the others wouldn't have gotten out of that Digital Hunters' base." He sighed, "And I know it's hard to think about the loss of our digimon partners, but we have to move on, Snow Agumon wouldn't want you to stay depressed forever, and I know she's looking down on you right now." He smiled, "My Agumon, Tailmon and all the others."

Noriko sniffled again and finally stopped crying. "Thank you, Taichi-san," she said.

The older boy smiled slightly. "And maybe we can work on you calling me that." He stood up and took a small step nearer to the edge of the path. The small cliff gave way and Taichi fell. He did not fall from the mountain, but instead the ground collapsed under him, bringing him into the mountain itself, specifically, a cavern.

"Taichi-san!" Noriko shouted, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah!" he called back, coughing. "I'm…hey, wait a sec, there's something down here."

"What?"

There was no response. "Taichi-san?"

She suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder. She jumped into the air and spun around, only to see, to her surprise, Taichi standing there with a smile on his face.

"Sorry. There was a tunnel that leads up around here." He pointed over his shoulder to a large opening on the side of the wall a few feet down the path.

Noriko nodded. "W..what was down there?"

Taichi reached for his D-terminal. "Let's get the others first, then I'll explain."

As it turned out, Yamato and Sora had found something similar on the other side of the mountain. "A giant stone carving of a sun?" Daisuke asked.

"That's right," Yamato said.

"Noriko and I found a moon carving on the other side," Taichi added.

"That's probably the sun and moon the scroll was talking about," Ken said.

"That's not all," Takeru said as he and Hikari reached the group on the left side of the mountain, "Hikari and I found the statue!"

"Where?"

"In the middle," the Priestess of Qinglongmon explained, "It's gigantic, and it looks just like an angel."

"So we've found those three things that the scroll talked about," Sora said, "But how do we use them?" She looked over at Ken. "Any ideas?"

Ken shook his head. "The scroll just said that the power of the sun and moon would guide us. There's probably something at the two carvings. Let's go and examine them."

Taichi and Noriko returned to their discovery, along with Hikari and Takeru. The foursome examined the carving in near silence. "It just looks like a normal carving to me," Taichi sighed, "What's so special about this?"

"There's got to be something here, Taichi-san," Noriko said.

"Yeah, I know," the older boy sighed, "I'm just a little stressed out right now, don't mind me."

Takeru knelt down and examined the bottom of the wall that the moon was carved onto. He discovered a small square jutting out the side. "Hey, what's this?"

Hikari reached for her D-terminal when she heard it start to beep. She flipped open the cover and read the message she had received. "It's from Ken. They found the same square thing on their side. I'll tell him we found the same thing." She entered the message and sent it. A moment later she received a response. "He thinks we should try pressing it at the same time, but someone needs to be at the stone statue, just in case something happens there."

"I'll go," Takeru said, running up the cavern to reach the top floor of the mountain. He ran over to where he and Hikari had found the stone goddess and stood before the elegantly carved statue of an angel. He sent a message via his own D-terminal. _"All right, I'm ready."_

Ken sent a message: "_In exactly one minute from the end of this sentence, we'll press the square objects. Okay, from right now!"_

Each side counted off the seconds until one minute had passed, and Taichi and Ken pressed the small square objects. Instantly, the entire mountain began to shake. Takeru stared up at the stone angel and watched with awe as it slowly slid apart, moving into two halves and revealing a hidden tunnel behind it. He grinned and ran inside.

The others became concerned when they did not receive a confirmation e-mail from Takeru, so they abandoned their sections of the mountain and ran to the center. They ran inside the newly revealed cavern, only to see the blond boy slowly walk back out. He was slightly surprised to see them. Hikari put his hands together in front of her chest, "Takeru, did you…?"

The blond boy shook his head. "It wasn't there."

Later that night, the warriors had set up another camp and were staring at the campfire, extremely depressed. "I still don't understand how it could be missing," Hikari asked.

"Treasure hunters probably," Ken sighed, "They're the worst, stealing priceless treasure just to sell it."

"And we were going to use it for ourselves too," Yamato sighed.

Sora shook her head. "What should we do now?"

Taichi glanced around. "Hey, where's Hikari?"

"Daisuke isn't here either," Noriko said.

"He's not?" Taichi and Takeru asked at the same time. The two older teenagers shot glanced at one another. The remaining warriors caught this.

"Is there something you two want to tell us?" Sora asked.

"No!" they both shouted.

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Daisuke was standing at the base of the Mountains of Gold, staring up at the area that held the stone goddess. He heard a strange crack and when he spun around he saw the brown-haired Priestess of Qinglongmon standing behind him.

"Oh, Hikari!"

"I didn't mean to startle you," she said.

He nodded and looked back to the mountains. "I'm sorry that we couldn't find the book."

"It's…"

"No, it's not okay," he cut her off, "We needed that book, and we let you down…_I_ let you down."

"Daisuke," she said, "I'ts not your fault. You have been the greatest to me. You have always been there for me, no matter what. And.." She hesitated, then took a deep breath and said, "…and I love you."

Daisuke turned to her. "W..what?"

She nodded slowly, her body shaking. "Y..yes."

Daisuke was silent for another few moments before reached over and hugging her. "Hikari-chan, I love you too, always have."

She smiled and rested her head in his chest. "I know, and I wanted to tell you for so long, but I couldn't." She gave a content sigh. "But now you know."

"Yeah, I do," he said. He hugged her tightly. "So, now what do we do? Tell the others?"

She hesitated; then nodded. "Yes, let's go."

They returned to the campsite, only to find that the others were waiting for them. The expressions on their faces seemed to indicate that they already knew. Takeru smiled broadly, while Taichi gave Daisuke a frightening glance. He got up from his seated position and walked over to him. "If you break her heart, I'll break your back," he said.

Daisuke nodded. "Y..yes."

Hikari frowned. "Oniichan!"

"Just kidding," Taichi smiled. His flashed a nasty snarl at Daisuke, but quickly turned it back into a smile when his sister glanced his way.

"I always knew you two would make a cute couple," Sora smiled. She eyed Hikari. "If you need any advice, just ask, okay?"

The Priestess of Qinglongmon nodded. "R..right, thank you."

"It's beautiful," Noriko smiled.

Sora turned to her boyfriend. "Oh, Yamato, doesn't this remind you of when we fell in love?"

"Uh, yeah," he said quickly.

Takeru smiled slightly as he mentioned to Taichi, Ken and Noriko. "First Yamato and Sora, now Daisuke and Hikari, everyone's getting paired up. There are four of us left right now…" His smile grew and he chuckled slightly as he looked at Noriko. "I think you're going to be very popular in the next few days."

She stared at him with a confused expression on her face, clearly not understanding his joke. "I'll explain it later," Ken said.

"Well," Taichi sighed, "Not that I'm not happy for you, but we need to think of what to do next. The Digital Codex is gone, and without it, Hikari can't make her wishes."

"Maybe we should ask Gennai, or even go back to Qinglongmon's Temple," Ken suggested.

Suddenly, the area was flooded with light as a loud, yet familiar sound appeared over head. They looked above and saw a helicopter hovering overhead. Lord Sentry appeared at a small doorway on the side. "Greetings, Chosen!" he shouted.

"You!" Taichi screamed, "What do you want?"

Lord Sentry reached inside of the floating vehicle and emerged with a gold book in his hands. "I think perhaps, that you want this!"

"The Digital Codex?" Hikari shouted.

"That's correct," the Digital Hunter commander answered, "We arrived before you and took this book."

"That's Hikari-chan's!" Daisuke shouted.

"Finders Keepers," he sneered, "If you want it, meet us one hundred kilometers north of here tomorrow morning. There we shall decided who claims the Digital Codex!" He jumped back inside the helicopter and the vehicle vanished into the night sky.

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In an area close to the Mountains of Gold, the Baihumon Warriors were resting in a similar campsite. The Priestess of Baihumon sat on the ground with her back resting against a soft fallen log; she was wrapped tightly in blankets, recuperating from the attack she suffered from Sora and Yamato. She eager ate her soup before placing their make-shift bowl onto the ground.

"Are you full?" Mimi asked.

She nodded. "Yes I am, thank you."

"Are you feeling any better?" Sam asked, sitting down beside her.

She nodded, rubbing the back of her head. "The swelling wasn't bad, so it's almost gone now."

"That's good."

"What are we going to do about this?" Lou asked.

"I don't know," Wallace said, "but if they want to attack our Priestess, then theirs is free game."

Michael nodded. "According to Tatum's reconnaissance, the Digital Hunters have the Digital Codex, and they're forcing the Qinglongmon Warriors to fight them for it. While they're distracted, we should put our own plan into motion."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Tatum said.

Michael nodded. "All right, let's do it."

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"You know this is a trap, right, Taichi-sempai?" Daisuke asked, running behind Taichi.

"Yeah," he muttered, "But they've got the Digital Codex, what other choice do we have?"

"I don't know about this," Hikari said, "I don't want you guys getting hurt because of me…"

"We've been through this before," Takeru sighed, "We all know what we're getting into. It's not your fault in any way."

"I know that," she sighed, "But it still doesn't make me feel any better."

They passed a few more trees and exited the forest only to appear in a wide open desert. "I guess we finally got out of the forest, huh?" Daisuke asked, "But now we're in complete desert."

"I think I liked it better in there," Sora said, wiping her forehead, "It's so hot out here."

"Yes it is, and it's about to get worse!"

The Qinglongmon Warriors frowned when they saw a collection of Digital Hunters moving towards them from the left. There were tree in the front, while one stayed in the back: a young woman with blond hair who held the "I'm glad to see that you're here," Nimrod grinned, "I've got to say that it's always more fun when I have to beat my prey into submission."

"Where's your boss?" Taichi asked, "Too scare to show his face?"

"Nah, just too busy," Artemis said, stepping forward, along with a massive man wearing a beard, who stood on the other side of Nimrod.

"We are here to apprehend you," the man said, "You can make it difficult if you want."

Nimrod whipped out his sword and jutted it forward. "My colleague Ahab here is only part right. We can apprehend you, but we are required to use extreme force if you resist."

"We're not going peacefully," Taichi said, "Give us the Digital Codes, now."

Nimrod mentioned over his shoulder. "Tracker's not giving that book away, you've got to get past us first." He grinned, "Now, are we gonna fight, or not?"

Taichi nodded at the Qinglongmon Warriors. "Evolve, now!"

Both teams quickly changed into their armors, before their armors cracked and changed into their next forms: Taichi into Goku, Daisuke into Serge from _Chrono Cross_, Yamato into Seiji from_ Samurai Troopers, _Sora into Sailor Venus, Takeru into Squall from _Final Fantasy VIII, _Ken into Yugi, and Noriko into Malon from _The Legend of Zelda._

Ahab, the bearded man, smiled amusingly, "So, this is their transformations, interesting."

"If you're through old man," Nimrod glared, "Let's get to work."

The sword carrying Digital Hunter charged forward aiming his sword directly for Noriko, but Yamato jumped in the way, using his own sword to block it. He pushed the Digital Hunter back and started a fierce sword battle with him. Sora leapt to his aide, and added a few kicks whenever Yamato's sword was pushed backwards. Ahab held a spear in one hand and a hammer in the other, which he used to simply bash Taichi, Daisuke and Takeru to the side. Artemis stood in one place and fired arrows at a fanatic rate, too fast for either Ken or Noriko to get too close. Luckily, their attacks were mostly long-range based, so they were able to stay at a distance, with Ken summoning the Black Magician onto the field and Noriko singing powerful blasts of sound that disrupted Artemis's arrows, sending them falling to the ground. One arrow managed to make it through her sound barrier, however, and flung directly towards her. Ken directed the Black Magician to block the projectile with his staff.

"Thank you," Noriko said.

"No problem," Ken smiled, "But we've got to keep going." He made a series of movements with his hands and the Black Magician fired a blast of powerful force, once again disrupting Artemis's arrows. Noriko sang a high note, sending a powerful blast of sound that knocked the female Digital Hunter onto the ground.

Taichi, Daisuke and Takeru were having a more difficult time against Ahab. This was the first time they had a chance to battle this Digital Hunter, so his moves and method of fighting were unknown to them. Takeru and Daisuke teamed up and swung their swords at the massive Digital Hunter's back, but were horrified when he spun around and blocked both blades with his spear. He twisted his body around, pulling both swords and the hands that were holding them into the ground. Taichi flew in from the other side in an attempt to try a sneak attack. Unfortunately, Ahab spun back around and slammed his large mallet into Taichi's face. He twisted around in the sky before falling into the ground.

Yamato swung his sword at Nimrod's side, but he spun out of the way and the blond warrior's attack only sliced empty air. His girlfriend tried to redeem their attack by firing her energy attack, but Nimrod swung his own sword around, deflecting the beam into the ground. The Digital Hunter was surprised as he did not know that Sora had attacked him. His surprise gave Yamato a chance to _finally_ actually hit Nimrod in the back. Sora took this chance to attack again, smacking Nimrod in the face.

The Digital Hunter stumbled back, rubbing his injured jaw. "Not bad," he said, "but I'm still gonna kill you!"

"Then do it!" Yamato shouted, pointing his sword at him, "I am sick and tired of your mother, Nimrod!"

As the battle continued, Tracker stood guard with the Digital Codex between her arms. Her cybernetic enhancements included enhanced senses, so she was able to smell Hikari's sent as soon as the Priestess approached. She spun around and grinned at the shocked brown-haired girl.

"Can I help you?" she asked, eyeing her wickedly.

"Just hand over the Digital Codex," she said, "It's not yours."

"It's not yours either," Tracker said, "We found it first."

"I can't let you keep it," the Priestess of Qinglongmon said, "We need it, you don't."

Tracker grinned slyly. "Really? And what exactly are you going to do about it? Fight me? You can't, you're completely helpless."

_"I used to be able to fight,"_ she thought, "_I was one of the strongest __Chosen__ Children, but that's when I still had a digimon partner. Oh, Tailmon, I wish you were here."_

She was about to reluctantly give up when she noticed that Tracker turned her attention away from her. The Digital Hunter was looking into the sky, unfortunately, her enhanced senses did not register quick enough before an armored figure dropped down on top of her. This figure grabbed the Digital Codex from the unconscious hunter.

"Wallace?" Hikari asked. She did not notice Tatum sneak up behind her.

The others did he her scream, however. "Hikari-chan!" Daisuke screamed.

"Hikari!" the others shouted.

"What?" Artemis asked, quickly turning around. Ken's eyes flashed and he made motions with his hands, motions that the Black Magician copied. He fired his Black Magic Attack, knocking the unaware Artemis into the ground. Ken grabbed Noriko's hand and they jumped over top of the fallen hunter.

"Hikari, hang on!" Ken shouted.

"I've got to help them," Daisuke said. He executed a back-flip in order to avoid the swing of Ahab's hammer. He landed next to Taichi.

"We need to combine our power together," the elder boy said.

"I'm with you," Daisuke said. He stared at Ahab for a few moments, then jumped into the air. He pointed his sword at the massive Digital Hunter, then pulled it back, before pointing it forward again, sending a white arrow forward. "Flying Arrow!"

Taichi put both of his hands together, pointing his open palms at the Digital Hunter. A small ball of energy formed in the cup of his hands as Taichi called out a familiar attack, "Kamehameha!"

Daisuke and Taichi's energy attacks combined together into a mighty beam of light that slammed into Ahab. Takeru used this opportunity to use his _Lionheart_ ability to bring the massive hunter to the ground.

"Artemis! Ahab!" Nimrod shouted. He threw up his sword in order to black Yamato's weapon, but that left him wide open for Sora.

She raised her hand and a string of hearts began to twirl around her body, before it was sent flying towards the Digital Hunter. "_Love Me Chain!"_ The chain of hearts smacked into his hand, making him drop his sword.

Yamato leapt into the air, his sword covered by electricity. He swung it forward, sending a giant ball of electricity into the hunter. "_Thunder Light Cut!"_

Nimrod was hit, hard. He screamed as his entire body was covered with electrical energy. The force sent him falling into Ahab and Artemis. The three hunters moaned deeply before passing out.

Taichi glanced at Yamato. "Not bad."

He nodded, smiling. "Thanks."

"They're taking Hikari!" Ken shouted. The other Qinglongmon Warriors quickly abandoned the fallen Digital Hunters and followed the fleeing Baihumon Warriors back into the forest. They traveled through a winding path until they abruptly reached a sharp cliff. "Where the heck did they go?" Daisuke asked.

"Taichi-san!" Noriko called, walking over with a piece of paper in her hands, "I found something. It was hanging on that tree over there."

The older teenager started reading. "It's from Michael." He scanned the page, then crumbled it in his hand.

"What?" Daisuke demanded.

"The Baihumon Warriors have her," he growled, "And they have the Digital Codex! If we want to get Hikari back, we need to go to the Temple of Baihumon and surrender the two Keys we have." His frown grew into a snarl, "They have us right where they want us, damn them!"


	9. Chapter VIII: The Book of the Gods: Hope...

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The Chosen Warriors

_Chapter VIII:_

_The Book of the Gods: Hope of the Priestess_

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Daisuke kicked a nearby pebble as hard as he could. It fluttered in the air for mere moments before crashing into the ground. "I can't believe those jerks took Hikari-chan!"

"We did hurt Maria," Sora sighed, "_I_ hurt Maria."

"That still doesn't give them the right to take her!" Takeru growled, "She doesn't have any powers to defend herself!"

"While I agree with you," Ken said, "Right now we need to think of a way to get her back. We can't give up the two keys that we have."

"Nothing is more important then getting my sister back," Taichi said, "Besides, without her, we can't make the wish anyway."

"Do we even know _where_ the Temple of Baihumon is?" Yamato asked.

Taichi turned to Ken. "Well?"

He shrugged. "Kari still has her scroll with her, I can't help you without it."

"Just perfect," he sighed, "So how do we find it?"

"Baihumon is the god of the western section of the Digital World, right?" Daisuke asked, "Let's just head west until we find some digimon that can help us."

"That might take forever," Taichi sighed, "We need to find a way to the western section, right now."

"What about a digimon that can fly?" Noriko suggested.

"Where can we find one?" Sora asked.

Takeru sighed, and turned to glance down the cliff they were standing on. "Hey, is that the ocean down there?"

The others glanced in the same direction. "It depends on where exactly we are," Ken said, "It's quite possible we're at the western shore of the eastern continent."

"Then let's see if we can find a Whamon or something, and get to the western side."

"It's the best chance we've got right now," Taichi sighed, "Come on."

Luckily, there was a village sitting right on the water's end, a village of aquatic digimon, complete with one Whamon Ultimate. He was far faster then his pre-evolved counterpart and the Qinglongmon Warriors were standing on the Western Continent within a matter of hours.

"All right," Daisuke said, "Now we just need to find the Temple of Baihumon."

"Temple of Baihumon?" Whamon Ultimate asked.

"You've heard of it?" Takeru questioned.

"I took another group of humans across this ocean," he said, "They were talking about the Temple of Baihumon."

"The Baihumon Warriors!" Yamato gasped, "That's how they were getting across the ocean."

"Do you know where the Temple of Baihumon is?" Daisuke asked.

"As a matter of fact, I have a general idea. The first time I took them to the eastern continent, I asked them about it. They said it was in a wasteland area, somewhere near the middle."

"There's only one wasteland on the western continent," Ken explained, "Well, that at least narrows it down some."

"They did say something about a town nearby, Gotsumons, I think."

"Okay," Taichi said, "Thanks."

"Bye Whamon!" Sora waved, "Thank you!"

The Qinglongmon Warriors continued to walk through the western continent. "Hey Ken, about how long until we reach that wasteland that you were talking about?"

"Probably half a day," he said.

Taichi sighed. "This is taking way too long. There's got to be a way to get there faster."

Unfortunately, there was not, and it was the middle of the next day before they reached the edge of the great wasteland. They limped into the Gotsumon village and collapsed from exhaustion.

When Daisuke awoke he was surprised to see a Gotsumon staring him directly into the face. He gave a small yelp and jumped back.

"Wait! Don't be afraid!" the Gotsumon said, "You guys collapsed! We're just trying to help you."

He glanced around; he was in what looked like a hospital. "Where are my friends?"

"Over here," he said, mentioning to another row of beds, where the rest of the Qinglongmon Warriors were sleeping. After forcing them awake, they immediately asked questions of their hosts.

"We're looking for the Temple of Baihumon," Ken said, "Do you know where it is?"

"Sure," one of the Gotsumon said, "It's in the center of the wasteland."

"And just how far into the wasteland is the center?" Takeru asked.

"It might take a few days…"

They all moaned loudly.

"…if you walked," the Gotsumon continued, "But a few of us can evolve to the adult level. As a Monochromon, we can take you there within a few hours."

"Tahnk you," Taichi said.

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Inside of the Temple of Baihumon, the seven warriors, plus their Priestess and their prisoner, with her hands tied tightly, sat around the main alter. Maria was slowly flipping through the pages of the Digital Codex. "Did you find anything out?" Steve asked.

"Yes," she said, "There is an incantation that I must say when we reach the Temple of the Center. In order to summon Baihumon, that is."

"Does it say anything else?" Lou asked.

Maria nodded. "Yes, there is much in here about the history of the Digital World."

Hikari sighed deeply to herself as she looked to her feet. She had her hands tied together and wrapped around one of the cement columns. "_Oniichan,"_ she thought, "_I know you're coming to save me. Please be careful, you too Daisuke."_

Michael sighed and walked out of the temple. Mimi followed him. "Is something wrong?"

"Yagami's no doubt going to try a sneak attack or something," he sighed.

"Well, don't worry," Mimi said, "I won't let their underhanded tricks hurt Maria. Oh! I still can't believe that they tried to hurt her!"

Michael gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Mimi, I've never seen you like this before."

She sighed. "I just never thought that Sora would do something like that, I thought she was our friend."

"I don't have any answers for you," he said, "But if they started this fight, then we'll finish it!"

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The Monochromons had dropped off the Qinglongmon Warriors a good distance from the Temple of Baihumon, but still close enough that they could walk to it. "Okay," Taichi whispered, "Here's what we'll do. Daisuke, Takeru and I will sneak inside, the rest of you wait here."

"Wait," Sora said, "I..I want to go too. I…I need to talk to Mimi."

"All right," Taichi said. He turned to Yamato, "If we're not out in a good amount of time, come in after us, okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah, good luck, man."

They snuck up to the perimeter of the temple, then silently snuck around, trying to find a way inside. Sora placed a hand on Taichi's shoulder and pointed towards a window, which was resting a few inches above one of the balconies. He nodded. "How do we get up there?" he whispered.

Takeru then noticed that the temple walls were built with a series of jutting bricks, creating an almost perfect climbing wall. The four warriors made their way up to the balcony and stared into the window. They could see the Baihumon Warriors, as well as Hikari.

"There they are," Takeru whispered, "And they've got Hikari tied up."

"Those jerks!" Daisuke growled, "We've got to free Hikari-chan!"

"If we go down there now, we'll have to fight all of them, and I'd prefer not to," Taichi said, "Let's create a distraction or something."

"Leave it to me," Takeru said. He climbed across the roof of the temple, then jumped down before the double doors of the Temple of Baihumon. He quickly transformed into his armored form, then evolved to his 'Champion' form of Squall from _Final Fantasy VIII._ He kicked open the door and walked inside. The Baihumon Warriors stared at him.

"I have the two Keys you want," he said, "But you're going to have to catch me if you want it!" He turned and ran out of the temple.

"Go after him!" Michael ordered.

The majority of the Baihumon Warriors ran after him, all except for Michael, Mimi and Maria. "Not bad," Daisuke said, watching them chase the blond-haired warrior through the wasteland, "He got rid of almost all of them."

Taichi stared at the two remaining Baihumon Warriors and sighed. "Looks like we're gonna have to fight our way through. I'll take Michael."

"I need to talk to Mimi," Sora said. Taichi turned to her, but was shocked to see fire in her normally calm eyes. He just nodded.

"Daisuke, that leaves you to rescue Hikari," he said.

"Don't worry," he said, "She'll be free."

Taichi nodded. "All right, let's go."

The there warriors quickly evolved to their armored forms, then to their adult forms: Taichi into Goku, Sora into Sailor Venus, and Daisuke into Serge from _Chrono Cross._ They leapt through the window and landed in the center of the temple floor, to the surprise of the shocked Baihumon Warriors.

"Give us the two Keys you have," Taichi ordered.

"Give us _your_ keys!" Michael shouted. The two Baihumon Warriors quickly changed into their armor, then evolved to their Adult forms of Vegeta and Chung Li. Taichi and Michael instantly began to attack, while the two female warriors stared at one another. Daisuke ran over to Hikari.

"Daisuke," she smiled.

"I'm glad you're okay," he said. He used his sword and with simple ease shattered the hand cuffs. She rubbed her sore wrists, and, from the corner of her eyes, was able to see Maria with the Digital Codex in her hands.

"I've got to go after her."

"I'll come with you."

"No," she said, shaking her head, "I've got to do this alone. Maybe I can talk some sense into her."

"But…"

"Please understand," she said, "I've felt so useless since you all are able to fight, and I'm not. Maria can't fight either, so I'll be all right. We're both Priestess, so think of it that way if you need to, but I need to do this!"

Daisuke nodded. "Okay, then good luck."

The Priestess of Qinglongmon smiled, and went to confront the Priestess of Baihumon. Daisuke smiled, then ran outside of the temple to aid the other Qinglongmon Warriors.

Mimi and Sora continued to stare at each other. "I can't believe you did this," Sora said.

"Did what?" Mimi sneered.

"You kidnapped Hikari!" she exclaimed. She swung her hands out in front of her. "How could you do this to your friends?"

"Friends? _Friends!"_ she screamed, "You attacked Maria first! One good turn deserves another!"

"It was an accident!" Sora protested.

Mimi crossed her arms and huffed. "You honestly expect me to believe that?"

"But it's the truth!"

"How could you be so vindictive against me?"

The redhead stared at Mimi for another second before sighing deeply. "Fine, fine. If you want to be enemies, then we'll be enemies!" She pointed her finger forward and fired a twisted object forward. "Crescent Beam!"  
Mimi placed her palms together and fired a blast of energy. "Kioken!"

The two attacks collided together, illuminating the temple battlefield. Taichi and Michael continued to viciously pound their fists into one another. Michael grabbed Taichi's leg and spun him around so fast that he smashed into the wall of the temple. Taichi brought one of fists around and pounded the side of his face. They separated and took a short break to pant heavily and stare at one another. "You're..you're pretty good," Taichi panted.

Michael smirked. "Thanks, you're not bad yourself, but you look more tired then me."

"I'm fine," he said.

"No you're not. I think you were up a little too late last night."

"That's because we had to track you all the way back here!" he shouted.

"Whatever the reason, I think I'm stronger then you!" He flung himself forward, slamming his fist into the side of Taichi's face, causing him to stumble to the side. The Qinglongmon Warrior attacked using an energy bolt, but Michael blocked it. The Baihumon Warrior jumped into the air and moved in for the kill.

Taichi suddenly started to glow. It was as if he was still wearing his armor. His body started to crack, until it finally exploded. What remained was Taichi, his orange paints torn, shirtless, larger muscles and bright yellow hair.

"Y..you evolved again!" Michael gasped.

"SSJ Goku," Taichi smiled, "And I think I've got you now." He shot forward and planted his fist into Michael's jaw. He swung his foot around and hit the Baihumon Warrior in the side.

Meanwhile, Hikari had finally cornered Maria near the hallways leading to the main battle. "Stop! I need to talk to you!"

She sighed and stared at her. "What?"

"How can you make a wish like that?"

"What makes my wishes any different then yours?" she asked, staring at Hikari with cold brown eyes. "What right do you have to condemn my plans for the Digital World?"

She hesitated. "I…I…" She shook her head, "No, you want to keep the Digital World sealed away forever. Isolationism always leads to collapse! Nothing can survive without interacting with the worlds around them!"

"All the _world around_ it wants to do is destroy the Digital World!" she almost shouted, "Don't you understand? People hate what they don't understand!"

Hikari took a deep breath to stay calm. She said in a very motherly tone, "But how can anyone understand, if we keep this world hidden?"

She hesitated. "I…I…?"

Hikari stepped closer. "Maria, don't you think that maybe the Digital Hunters wouldn't have happened if they understood about the special relationships we had with our partners?"

"I..I..I don't know…"

Hikari's eyes focused on the Digital Codex, as well as the two keys, in her arms. She hesitated. Could she really do it? The fate of the Digital World was at stake, but it could make any damage irreversible. She could not, but she had to!

She reached over and grabbed the three items, forcefully knocking Maria to the ground in the process. She then quickly ran back to the battlefield. "I've got them!" she cried, "I did it!"

Mimi and Michael both stared at her. "The Digital Codex!" Mimi shrieked, "What did you do to Maria?"

Hikari was stammering out an explanation, when Taichi shot at Michael's back at full speed. He slammed both of his feet into the back of Michael's head. The Baihumon Warrior fell into the ground, his body returned to it's normal state. Sora quickly charged at Mimi and punched her in the side of the face. Taichi flew down and grabbed the two girls before flying out of the temple. He found the other warriors already in battle.

"We're leaving!" he shouted, "Let's go!"

"Surrendering?" Yamato gasped.

Taichi nodded. "Let's go!"

The Qinglongmon Warriors started to flee. The Baihumon Warriors were ready to follow, but Wallace stopped them. "Let 'em go. They're surrendering. Come on."

They ran back into the temple, but stopped in shock when they saw Michael and Mimi lying on the floor, with Maria standing over them. "No!" Wallace shouted.

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"I can't believe you did that!" Daisuke grinned, "You actually did it!"

Hikari blushed. "I just did what any of you would have done." Her smile faded, "But I took it when Maria was most vulnerable. I feel so ashamed but, I had to!"

"I'm sure you didn't have any other choice," Ken said, "Sometimes we make decisions that we're not always proud of for the greater good."

Taichi spied Sora staring up at the stars. He walked over to her. "Hey."

"Hey."

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, just trying to see if our star symbols are up there, but I guess we're too far west."

Taichi nodded. "Um, I know what you did back there was tough, and…and I'm sorry that it had to turn out this way."

Sora nodded, tears coming down her face. She whipped them away. "I'm not going to cry!"

"It's okay."

"No it's not!" she said, "Mimi told me that our friendship is over and that we're enemies now! The next time we meet I'll have to fight her, and I'm not going to let my emotions stop me!"

Taichi was silent for a few minutes. "You know, we're your friends here. We can help you trough anything you're feeling. Don't hold it all inside."

She smiled slightly at him. "This coming from the guy who doesn't even talk about his feelings when he's in a good mood?"

"I guess I'm changing too," he simply said, "Our parents are gone, which makes me the legal guardian of Hikari, but she doesn't really need me anymore. Maybe I'm just feeling some version of empty nest." He chuckled, "Jeeze, a teenager and I'm already going through a mid-life crisis."

Sora laughed. The two of them walked back to the others. Taichi spoke when he saw that the others were staring at him. "All right. We have the four keys, as well as the Digital Codex. We have everything we need in order to summon Qinglongmon!"

The Qinglongmon Warriors cheered.

Taichi nodded in response. "Ken, find the quickest way to the Temple of the Center."

"You got it."

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We had the five parts we need to activate the Temple of the Center. Qinglongmon would be summoned. We had succeeded and gathered all the necessary pieces. I could make my wish, but it came at a heavy price. The Baihumon Warriors and the Qinglongmon Warriors are now enemies forever. What I did to Maria, can never be forgotten, and now Mimi and Sora, the strongest friendship amongst our group during our first adventure in the Digital World, was now broken. I just hope that I was worth it.

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Author's note: Things should get a little more interesting from this point on, as it will more closely resemble the plot of _Fushigi Yugi._

I will post another chapter of _Resurrection War Reborn_ and then I will probably post the first chapter of _Destiny_ which will be a re-write of Season 4, and will also be a sequel to my _Legacy_ fic, which everyone seemed to love so much. Also, it will be my final Digimon fic, so I hope you keep your eyes out for it.


	10. Chapter IX: Bewitching Hope

We had managed to get all five pieces necessary to summon Qinglongmon. It was like a dream to me, almost surreal. It seemed like we had won. I was actually going to do it; Qinglongmon would be summoned, and my wish would be granted. Every person on Earth would have a digimon partner, and then maybe the Digital Hunters would understand what it meant to be a Chosen Child. At least, that was what I hoped. Life has a strange way of crushing your dreams.

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The Chosen Warriors

_Chapter IX:_

_Bewitching Hope_

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"You realize, of course, that the Qinglongmon Chosen have managed to make it to the Temple of the Center with the Digital Codex and the Four Keys? They are going to succeed! What are we going to do about it?"

Lord Sentry turned to stare at the younger blond man with a smile. "Calm yourself, my younger brother. We will be victorious in the end."

"How?"

"Orion and Recorder are completing the final phases of Operation Sleeper. And as for the Chosen Children, Nimrod is currently assembling a force to take them out."

"Nimrod is self-serving and a lose cannon," the younger man said.

"True, but he is powerful and an excellent fighter. According to the Digital Codex, which we scanned before giving it up, Priestess Yagami must recite an incantation in order to call the god Qinglongmon. Once she begins, Nimrod will strike, and finally finish them off."

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The Temple of the Center was a gorgeous structure, with elegantly carved statues attached to the top, one for each of the four Holy Beasts, in the direction that guarded over. The Qinglongmon Warriors stepped up to the large double doors. There were four key holes, with a carving of the Holy Beasts over top.

"I guess we need to put each of the keys right Key holes, Ken said.

Hikari held up the Qinglongmon Key, while Taichi had the Zhuqioamon one, Daisuke held the Baihumon and Takeru held Xuwanamon. They put each one into the proper slots and turned. The giant door clanged, then slowly opened. They walked inside, but Noriko remembered to grab the Keys before closing the door. However, she failed to notice that the door did not click shut.

The Qinglongmon Warriors were standing in a long hallway, bare except for a few carvings on the ceiling. They walked for another few seconds before arriving in a giant rotunda, with a pointed ceiling. There were four tunnels in each compass direction.

Ken read from the Digital Codex, "According to this, Hikari needs to be cleansed before performing the ritual."

"Cleansed?" she asked.

He nodded. "The Summoning is a diving act. You need to be…uh…'purified' of mind and body. To remove any, uh, impurities…."

She stared at him.

He quickly added. "Not that you have any…"

She smiled. "Don't feel embarrassed."

Ken nodded and continued to recite from the Digital Codex, and mentioned down the Xuwanamon hall. "There is a bath down there."

Sora smiled and patted Noriko on the shoulder. "I guess we'll be helping."

"I'll help too," Daisuke exclaimed. He flinched when he noticed Taichi staring daggers at him. "Uh, just kidding."

Takeru looked over Ken's shoulder at the book. "Is that a prayer?"

"Sort of. She'll need to say that when she's ready." He handed her the book. "You'll need to know it."

Sora placed one of her hands on each of the younger girls' shoulders. "Come on you two." She lead Hikari and Noriko down the Xuwanamon hall.

"All right," Yamato said, "What do we do? Wait?"

"What's this?" Taichi asked.

"That's the alter," Ken said, stepping onto the raised octagon platform. There was a smaller, octagon-shaped-heath in the center. "Hikari needs to lit that fire, then qe each need to stand in one corner, then we'll need to gather our energy to her and she'll summon Qinglongmon."

"And everyone will have a digimon partner," Taichi said, "I just hope it works."

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Hikari stood before the large pool of clear water, filled by a stream entering through a statue of a turtle on the far wall. "Wow, this is beautiful."

"Look over here," Noriko said, mentioning to a large square carved into the wall. Inside were a collection of clothes, clearly designed for a female. "I wonder if you're supposed to wear these?"

Sora checked the water by placing her hand inside. "It's perfect. Okay," she turned to Hikari, "All right, get undressed."

She blushed. "What?"

The red-head mentioned to Noriko. "You're the Priestess, we're your attendants. We'll help you bathe."

Hikari reluctantly agreed and removed her clothes before stepping into the water. The other two girls helped her wash herself, cleaning the 'impurities' from her body. After she was dry, she dressed in her under garments, then dressed in the white garb. It was more of a dress actually, with flowing robes attached to the shoulders.

"You look every bit as prestigious as a Priestess," Sora smiled.

"You really think so?"

She nodded, but her smile soon faded. She gently grabbed Noriko. "Come on."

The younger girl looked at her. "What?"

"Let's just go." She looked at Hikari." Don't get messy again."

They walked to the entrance of the bathing room. "It's okay Daisuke, we're leaving."

The younger goggle-wearer slowly stepped out of the shadows of the tunnel, slightly red. Sora smiled slightly at him, then pushed Noriko out of the room.

Daisuke stared at Hikari. "Wow, you look so…so beautiful."

She shrugged slightly and smiled. "Thank you. We just found it in that, uh, closet."

Daisuke nodded. He fidgeted. "So, this is it, huh?"

She nodded in return. "Yeah, I guess it is."

"I was just thinking, after all is said and done, what do we do?"

"What?"

"I mean, about…us…"

"I…I don't know. I don't want to rush into anything. Let's take it slow, start dating, you know."

"But, we're the Qinglongmon _Warriors_, our job is to protect you now. What other threats could come after you? Once you call Qinglongmon, shouldn't you job be over? But, what if it isn't?"

She stared at him. "Daisuke, this isn't like you at all."

He sighed deeply. "I…It's just that…"

"What?"

"I don't think I can lose you."

She smiled warmly and placed her arms around his shoulder. "You won't. You'll always be there to protect me, right? Just like everyone else will be. I'll never leave you."

He smiled. He hesitated for a few seconds before kissing her on the lips. They broke apart and Hikari hugged him tightly.

"I love you Daisuke."

"I love you Hikari-chan."

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Takeru stared out through the large stain-glass windows at the landscape around the temple.

"What are you looking at?"

He turned around and smiled as his older brother joined him. "Just amazed at how this temple is surrounded by every land-type you could think of. Well, almost."

"That's why its called the Temple of the Center, right?"

The two brothers continued to stare out the window. "There's something I need to tell you," Yamato said, "Sora and I may soon be getting married."

"Really?" he gasped.

"Yeah. Sora wants to do it, you know, just in case."

"That's great!" he grinned.

"And I want you to be my leading man, you know, the best man."

"Really? But, what about Taichi?"

"We're gonna ask him to give the bride away, since Sora's father is…"

Takeru nodded. "Yeah. Well, good for you."

The two brother continued to stare out the windows. "Are you upset that Hikari didn't like you back?"

Takeru shrugged. "I was never really in love with her, you know, we were just close friends."

"Anyone I know?" Taichi asked, walking into the room.

Takeru smiled at Yamato, then excused himself from the room.

"I guess this means you want to talk to me alone?" Taichi asked.

Yamato nodded. "Actually, Sora and I want to talk to you, so I think we need to find her first."

"Uh, okay."

The two older teenagers walked back to the main rotunda and saw Sora and Noriko waiting inside. "Hey, Noriko, do you mind if Sora and I talk to Taichi alone?"

"Um, sure." She bowed and exited the room.

Taichi stared at his two friends. "Okay, what's going on?"

Yamato took a deep breath. "Sora and I are going to get married."

"What? Really?" he exclaimed, "That's great!"

Sora miled. "Really? You're okay with this?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" he shouted, "This is great news!"

"There's something else we want to ask you," she said.

Yamato nodded. "Yeah, I asked Takeru to be my best man…"

Sora continued, "Since you're my oldest friend, um, would you...give the bride away?"

"W..what? I…I'd be honored."

She hugged him. "Thanks Taichi, you're the best. I've got to tell Hikari." She ran off, followed by Yamato. Taichi watched them, and his smile slowly faded. He walked down the Zhuqioamon hallway and arrived in a room filled with small cots. He found Noriko inside.

"Is something wrong, Taichi-san?" she asked.

"Yamato and Sora are getting married," he said.

She smiled. "Oh, that's great, isn't it?"

He nodded again. "Yeah."

"But what's wrong?" She walked over to him and hesitated before speaking again. "Hikari told me that you once had feelings for Sora…"

He shook his head. "Yeah, I did, but if you're thinking that I'm jealous of them, well, I was, but I'm not anymore. I was just thinking about how I don't have anyone to be close with, like they do."

Noriko smiled. "Taichi-san, you're a great person, and everyone looks up to you so much. I'm sure that the right person will come along for you."

He smiled. "Wow, you're so much like Hikari."

She shook her head. "No I'm not, she's great, and all I do is get in the way."

This time he shook his head. "Don't sell yourself short. You saved us in the Sleeping Valley, remember?"

"I…I just lucky, that's all."

"You're really like Hikari," he smiled.

Ken entered the room. "Oh, here you two are. I'm sorry if I interrupted anything."

"No, what is it?"

"Hikari is ready to start the ceremony."

Taichi turned to Noriko. "This is it, ready?"

She took a deep breath. "Yeah."

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Unbeknownst to the Qinglongmon Warriors, their enemies, the Digital Hunters, were slowly making their way towards the Temple of the Center. They were lead by Lord Sentry himself, and they were comprised of every hunter the Chosen had yet faced.

"This is gonna be it," Nimrod grinned, "Those Chosen brats are finally gonna get what's coming to them."

"Calm yourself, now," Sentry warned, "I will not tolerate any mistakes because you're too eager to claim your kill. A true predator waits in silence, then strikes."

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind," he mumbled.

"Sir," Tracker said, "We're approaching the Temple."

Lord Sentry grinned. "Excellent."

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Inside of the Temple, the seven warriors and their priestess stood in a corner of the giant octagon in the center of the main hallway, Hikari stood on the point directly across from the stairs used to step onto the platform, while Taichi stood in the corner near the stairs, with his back facing the hall that lead to the entrance to the temple. The Priestess of Qinglongmon lit the heath in the center of the platform, creating a bright fire.

"Did you memorize the incantation?" Ken asked, "You have to say it correctly, or…"

She nodded. "Yes, I..I know. I think I've got it, at least, I hope I do."

"You'll do fine," Daisuke said, "I know you will."

Hikari nodded. She approached the alter, but then stopped. "Wait a second. We get three wishes, right?"

Ken nodded. "That's what the scroll said."

"Well, I'm only going to use one wish, what about the other two?"

"I guess we didn't think about that, huh?" Taichi said.

"I have a suggestion," Sora smiled, "How about you use one to wish for everlasting peace in the Digital World?"

"That's a good one, thank you," Hikari smiled, "But what about the last one?"

"How about you wish for you and Daisuke to be together forever," Takeru suggested.

"Oh, I couldn't do that," Hikari said, "That's so selfish."

"It's fine with me," Takeru said.

"Me too," Taichi nodded.

The rest soon added their agreement. Hikari hesitated. "Are you sure."

"Yes," Takeru said, "I think you of all people deserve to be happy, after everything that you had to go through, especially at such a young age."

"Go for it," Taichi said, "You do deserve it."

Hikari looked to Daisuke, who nodded. She smiled. "Okay, thank you all for caring about us."

She looked to each one of her warriors, then took a deep breath. "Okay everyone, gather your energy, I'm ready." Each one of the warriors concentrated as hard as they could and focused their energy into their Priestess.

Hikari looked to the pointed ceiling. She took a deep breath and began to speak, "Lords of the Stars, Gods of the Digital World, I call to you. Descend from the heavens and grant me my wishes. Appear to me as I call your name, Qinglo…!" She was abruptly cut off when she heard Taichi scream.

Outside of the Temple of the Center, the Digital Hunters slowly opened the main double doors. Lord Sentry peered inside and could see the gathered Qinglongmon Warriors on the raised platform.

"Let's do this," Nimrod exclaimed, "We can take them out all right now."

"No!" Lord Sentry shouted, "Your…unpredictable, attacks have caused you to lose again and again. This time, we do it my way." He removed a gun from a holster and pointed it at Taichi's back. "And we take out their leader first." He pulled the trigger and fired a blast of white energy directly at the Qinglongmon Warrior.

Hikari looked to the pointed ceiling. She took a deep breath and began to speak, "Lords of the Stars, Gods of the Digital World, I call to you. Descend from the heavens and grant me my wishes. Appear to me as I call your name, Qinglo…."

Taichi suddenly screamed as the white energy from Lord Sentry's attack struck his back with such force that he was propelled across the room, his feet knocking into the heath, shattering the age-old metal before smashing into the far wall.

"Oniichan!" she screamed.

Ken leapt over to Taichi's side. "Taichi?"

"Oh man, what the hell hit me?"

"He's okay, Hikari," Ken said.

"But what hit him?" Daisuke asked.

"It came from down the hall," Yamato said, "Ken, Noriko, Hikari, stay with Taichi, the rest of you, let's go!"

They quickly transformed into their armor, then evolved: Daisuke into Serge from _Chrono__ Cross_, Yamato into Seiji from_ Samurai Troopers, _Sora into Sailor Venus, and Takeru into Squall from _Final Fantasy VIII._

They ran out of the Temple and right into the waiting arms of the Digital Hunters. Lord Sentry grinned. "Greetings. We meet again."

Daisuke jutted his "You hurt Taichi-sempai, and now I'm gonna hurt you!"

"Daisuke, no!" Yamato shouted, but it was too late. The younger swordsman was blocked by Nimrod before he could reach the Digital Hunter's leader.

"Sorry, brat, you'll have to get past me first."

Yamato shot around him and kicked Nimrod as hard as he could. "Sorry, punk, you're facing me, understand?"

Nimrod grinned and swung his own sword. "Your funeral."

They began to fight, as Sora and Tracker faced each other, along with, Takeru and Ahab, which left Daisuke to face the dreaded Lord Sentry alone.

"You're not too good at physical combat, are you sweetie?" Tracker asked.

Sora growled and swung her fists at her. "Take this, 'sweetie." She aimed for the Digital Hunter's nose, but her attack fell short. Tracker grabbed the redhead by the ankle and swung her into the ground. The Qinglongmon Warrior pointed her hand at Tracker's face, "Crescent Beam!"

Tracker was hit in the face, but she grabbed two of her daggers and was about to attack Sora with them, but she rolled out of the way in time. Sora attacked again, but the Digital Hunter blocked with her daggers. Tracker charged forward and shoved her foot into the Qinglongmon Warrior's stomach with all of her might. The redhead grabbed her abdomen and staggered backwards.

Takeru swung his gun-shaped sword at Ahab, but the massive Digital Hunter swung his hammer into the Qinglongmon Warrior's chest, sending him flying onto his back. "Damn it!" he swore, "That felt like getting hit…getting hit by a semi truck!"

"I'll take that as a compliment," Ahab grinned. He pounded his foot into Takeru's stomach while the Qinglongmon Warrior was on the ground. He grabbed Takeru by the ankle and began spinning him around above his head at a fantastic rate before releasing his grip; the momentum sent the blond warrior flying into the wall of the Temple of the Center.

Nimrod and Yamato were engaged in a fierce battle, the clashing of their swords ringing throughout the entire landscape. The Qinglongmon Warrior punched his fist into Nimrod's face. The Digital Hunter growled and executed a roundhouse kick, slamming his foot into the side of Yamato's face. The world suddenly became very blurry, and he fell onto his back.

By far, the most important battle was being fought by Lord Sentry and Daisuke. The Qingongmon Warrior's blade was a fierce weapon, but was still not enough to injure the Digital Hunter leader, that is, if he could even _touch_ him.

Daisuke leapt to the side to avoid a laser blast from the Hunter's arm-based gun, then charged forward spinning his weapon above his head. He shifted it to his right hand and swung it forward, intending to slice a hole in Lord Sentry's armor, but the Digital Hunter fired another energy blast that knocked the weapon out of Daisuke's hand. However, the Warrior executed a perfect gymnastic feat by leaping to the side, grabbing his weapon, and propelling himself back. Lord Sentry smirked and flung his arm into Daisuke, using his own momentum against him. The Qinglongmon Warrior flipped over on the point of impact and landed in the ground.

"Is that the best the Qinglongmon Warriors have to offer?" Lord Sentry laughed, "You are pathetic!"

Daisuke struggled to lift himself up, but the Digital Hunter used to his foot to firmly keep him on the ground. "No…" he moaned, "H..Hikari-chan! I..I've got to get up…H…Hikari-chan!"

Suddenly, his body began to glow brightly. The other Qinglongmon Warriors stared at him. "Daisuke?" Takeru asked, even as his own body was starting to glow. Sora and Yamato soon began to glow as well. The light intensified until their bodies exploded, revealing new outfits that had formed beneath the glow.

Takeru was now dressed in a blue jumpsuit and carried a broad sword with a massive blade. "I'm…Cloud Stryfe? Cool."

Sora looked almost the same, except her skirt was now blue instead of orange. She also carried an elegantly designed scepter. "Sailor Moon?"

Yamato's armor was now dark red and he carried two swords instead of one. "Ryo of Blazing Fire!"

Daisuke now had brown armor, a long sword and a shield on the other arm. "I think I'm Glenn from _Chrono__ Cross._"

"We evolved again!" Takeru gasped, "Just like Taichi did."

Daisuke grinned and pointed his sword at Lord Sentry. "Let's take these guys out."

Yamato connected his sword hilts together, then jumped into the air, as his weapon became covered with fire. He shot it forward, sending a beam of fire towards his enemies.

"Double Fire Cut!"

Sora leapt into the air and swung her scepter in front of her, sending a beam of energy that merged with Yamato's attack, augmenting its power.

"Moon Princess Halation!"

Daisuke and Takeru then jumped into the air, each one on one side of the Double Fire Cut/Moon Princess Halation energy beam. The swung their swords into the energy beam, propelling it forward with all of their might. The energy beam smashed into the four Digital Hunters, creating a massive explosion of light and sound. Lord Sentry had used his arm to shield his eyes, which he threw down once the aftershocks of the attack had died down. He looked to his other Hunters, and saw them all lying on the ground.

"Damn it!" he swore, "Digital Hunters, retreat!" He glared at Daisuke before he joined the other Digital Hunters in fleeing.

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

When Daisuke, Yamato, Sora and Takeru arrived back in the main alter area, they saw that Taichi was back on his feet. "Are you okay?" Sora asked.

"Yeah," he grinned, "It's going to take more then that to stop me. What happened out there?"

"We evolved again!" Daisuke grinned, punching the air, "And I kicked some serious butt!"

"You looked more like you were _getting_ your butt kicked," Takeru smirked.

"You didn't do so great yourself!" he snapped back.

"Wait a second," Yamato said, glancing at the alter, "Are will still able to summon Qinglongmon?"

Hikari hesitated but glanced at Ken. The other boy looked to the ground and slowly shook his head. He mentioned to the heath, which had been completely destroyed from when Taichi smacked into it. "We only had one chance, while the fire was still it. We…we can't summon Qinglongmon this way."

The Priestess looked as though her heart had been torn in half. "You mean…I failed?"

"You didn't fail," Daisuke said, "It wasn't you fault."

"Yeah, it was mine," Taichi sighed, "I'm the one that broke it."

"You couldn't help it," Noriko protested, "The Digital Hunters did it."

Ken smiled. "Now wait a second. I didn't say it was over."

"You mean there's another way?" Taichi asked.

The other Qinglong Warrior opened the Digital Codex and flipped to a section in the book. "Here. This section says that the fire helps connect the Priestess to the Holy Beast she is attempting to call. If we can find four Shinzahos, then we can use _their_ energy in place of the heath."

"What's a Shinzaho?" Sora asked.

"According to the Codex, when a Priestess summons a Holy Beast, an object on her body absorbs the holy energy, making it a divine artifact. If we can find the four Shinzahoes from the previous Priestesses…"

"I get it," Taichi said, "We need to find those things, and then we can summon Qinglongmon."

"Right," Ken nodded, "They should be in the Temples of the Four Beasts, like the one Hikari got her scroll in and we got our powers, but, this is our last chance. If we don't do it this way…"

Hikari nodded. "Yes, I understand." She took a deep breath, "We can't fail now."

Unbeknownst to the Qinglongmon Warriors, Sam, of the Baihumon Warriors had been listing from the open doors of the Temple of the Center.

"Shinzaho," he said to himself. He turned and ran into the distance.

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

I had failed in my mission. I needed to summon Qinglongmon, and I could not do it. Daisuke told me that it wasn't my fault, but that did not help to alleviate the guilt. They all depended on me to call Qinglongmon, and I couldn't do it.

But now, there is another path to take. If we could find all the Shinzahos, then maybe I could still do it. I had to, everyone is depending on me, not to mention hundreds of Chosen Children that have yet to be affected by the discrimination of the Digital Hunters. For them, and everyone else that has been hurt by them, I will make my wishes, I will succeed.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Author's note: Please be sure to check out "Destiny," it will be my final digimon fic.

Please don't forget to review.


	11. Chapter X: Flash of Battle

After our failure…_my_ failure with summoning Qinglongmon, the sacred alter was destroyed. Because of that, we now had to find four sacred objects called Shinzahos. Then, with all four, I could call Qinglongmon and finally ask him my wishes.

Maybe if I knew what was going to happen to us, to my friends, I might have completely abandoned my quest. The price was not worth what was lost.

_""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""_

The Chosen Warriors

_Chapter X:_

_Fla__sh of Battle_

_""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""_

Hikari took a deep breath and smiled. "So, back here again."

The other Qinglongmon Warriors joined her as she looked up at the Temple of Qinglongmon. "Yeah," Yamato said, "And somewhere inside is this Shinzaho we're looking for?"

Ken nodded. "Yes, there should be deeper levels then what we saw last time."

"I guess we'd better get started," Taichi said.

The Qinglongmon Warriors walked past the alter they received their armors from and journeyed through a large opening and into a long hall. They continued to walk in silence, until Takeru spoke up.

"Is it just me, or are we moving downwards?"

Sora looked over her shoulder. "Yeah, I think the hall is sloping down."

The walls suddenly became covered with strange pictures carved into the cement material, pictures of seven other warriors, each one with strange powers, which they displayed in the defending of their priestess.

Hikari stared at the carvings. "Are these…?"

"They're us, right?" Daisuke said, "I mean, the other Qinglongmon Warriors? The first ones?"

"I would say that's a fair assumption," Ken said. He lightly ran his hand over one of the warriors, a tall man with what looked like face paint.

Taichi was staring at an image of a massive man, dressed in armor, with a cape flowing behind him. His face was almost completely expressionless, with arrogant and hateful eyes. "I don't think I really like this guy. Something…evil about him."

"Take a look at this one," Yamato called, mentioning to a creature that resembled a werewolf. "Something's…odd about these people."

Sora glanced at an image of a woman, with lightning crackling around her. "I'm with you, I don't like these people."

Noriko was staring at an image of a young man playing a flute. "There's something familiar about this one."

Hikari walked down the wall to an image of a younger girl standing in the center of the seven warriors. She was dressed in what appeared to be ceremonial robes. "I guess that's the Priestess right?"

"I would assume so," Ken said.

Hikari stared at the image for a long while. "I wonder what she wished for? Were they good ones? Did she use them to help the world, or were they selfish? Did she think of others, or only of herself?" She sighed deeply. "I just wish I could ask her."

Daisuke stepped up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulder. "Let's try to find the Shinzaho. Maybe we'll learn more there."

They continued down the hallway. The walls slowly grew less and less organized and constructed, becoming instead cracked and crumbling, obviously a place that was many, many years old. They were just beginning to wonder how light was able to illuminate this dark tunnel, when the world suddenly became pitch black.

"Well this is just perfect," Taichi sighed, "What the hell just happened?"

"We did."

"Who said that?" Daisuke demanded, "Show yourself!"

The hall suddenly exploded in bright blue light. Two figures appeared at the very end of the hall, before a dead-end. Both looked exactly the same, save for one was dressed in orange, and the other in blue. The blue one carried a flute, while the other had strange ball weapons with blades attached to the underside.

"You will come no further," the weapon-carrier said.

"State your name and your business," the flute-carrier ordered.

Hikari stepped forward. "I am the Priestess of Qinglongmon. These are my seven warriors. We've come here searching for the Shinzaho."

"Qing Long…?" the weapon-carrier asked, eyeing the other, "You mean, Seiryuu?"

Hikari hesitated. "I..ah…"

"Yes," Ken stepped forward, "We are the warriors of Qinglongmon, also called Seiryuu."

The flute-carrier stared at them. "If you truly are warriors of Seiryuu, then defeat us using the energy of the dragon god!"

"What?" Taichi gasped.

The flute-player made a motion with his hand. "I am Amiboshi."

"And I am Suboshi," the other said, "Defend yourself! We have guarded the Shinzaho of Seiryuu for centuries! We will not give up the Shinzaho so easily!"

"Evolve!" Taichi ordered, "Now!"

They quickly changed into their armors, before their armors cracked and changed into their next forms: Taichi into Goku, Daisuke into Serge from _Chrono Cross_, Yamato into Seiji from_ Samurai Troopers, _Sora into Sailor Venus, Takeru into Squall from _Final Fantasy VIII, _Ken into Yugi, and Noriko into Malon from _The Legend of Zelda._

Both Amiboshi and Suboshi were surprised, but they did not back down. "Did you see that light?" Suboshi asked.

"It is the light of Seiryuu," Amiboshi said, "But, let us see if they can truly use it." He placed the flute near his mouth and began to play. The Qinglongmon Warriors all fell to their knees as the haunting music reverberated through their ears.

"I…can't …move!" Daisuke shouted.

"It hurts! My body's on fire!" Takeru shouted,

Taichi struggled to raise his head. "N…Noriko…can't…you…help us?"

"I'm sorry, sir," she responded, "…c…can't sing…."

Sora was moaning in extreme pain, clutching her hair in an attempt to rid her mind of the song. "Ahh, I can't…"

"Just…hold on…" Yamato said, "Please…"

Ken stared at his friends. "Got...to…fight…it…" He reached for his pocket and removed his deck of cards. Despite the extreme pain, he grabbed the top card and threw it as hard as he could. It flew through the air and struck the flute in Amiboshi's hand. He stopped playing only for a moment, but it was long enough for Taichi to fire a _Kamehamaeha, _knocking him back. He placed his flute back over his mouth and started playing again. This time, however, the Qinglongmon Warriors remained standing.

"How can this be?" he shouted.

"That's easy," Daisuke grinned, mentioning over his shoulder to Noriko.

"You?"

The short-haired girl nodded. "My song can block yours," she said.

"My turn!" Suboshi shouted. His hovering blades suddenly came to life, dancing and twirling around the small hall. They bounced and clanked off the stones, tearing through the air.

"They're all over the place!" Takeru shouted, dropping to the ground as one of the blades shot over his head.

"Hikari's in the center, now!" Taichi ordered. Daisuke grabbed the brown-haired girl and yanked her into a protective circle, the circumference made up of the other seven warriors. Each one stood completely at attention, staring at the deadly blades. One came for Daisuke, but he blocked it with his sword. Another one came for Sora, but her energy attack blasted it into nothing. One came for Takeru, and he prepped his sword. However, the blade was falling fast, and it hit the floor, ricocheting at and angle beneath his sword, ripping the side of his abdomen.

"Takeru!" Yamato shouted.

"Oh no," Sora gasped.

"Are you all right?" Daisuke asked, "Come on, buddy, Takeru?"

Hikari stared at her blond friend, who was losing blood fast. Ken was ripping Takeru's shirt off as Noriko attempted to dress the wound. All she could do was stare at the red stain growing beneath him. Something within her began to grow.

"Takeru!" she screamed, her eyes exploding with blue light. Amiboshi and Suboshi stared in awe.

"That is the energy of Seiryuu," Amiboshi said.

Suboshi was about to respond, but could not as Taichi's energy slammed him into the rear wall. He slowly rose to his feet. "There is no longer any reason for us to fight. You have passed the test."

"You almost killed Takeru!" Yamato shouted, "And it was all a test?"

Amiboshi nodded. "We could not give up the Shinzaho without being certain that you were truly a Priestess of Seiryuu."

"There had to be a better way then this!" Yamato shouted, mentioning to where Takeru was lying on the ground. Noriko had managed to use his shirt as bandages. The bleeding was starting to slow down, luckily.

Hikari stepped forward and stared at the two warriors. "Who cares about the Shinzaho now! Takeru's hurt!"

"No, it's okay," Takeru said, slowly rising to his feet. He was holding his injured side. "We need that Shinzaho."

"But…"

"Hikari…"

She shook her head. "All right, fine." She turned to the two Seiryuu warriors. "Where is it?"

Suboshi mentioned to the wall he had been flung into, which mysteriously vanished. On the other side was a small pedestal, which contained a small blue orb. Hikari walked over and lifted it. "An earring?"

"Yes," Amiboshi said, "The Shinzaho is created when the energy of the god flows into an object that the Priestess is wearing at the time of the summoning."

Hikari bowed, even though she did not want to. "Thank you."

"Let's get out of here," Taichi said. He stared at the two ancient warriors until the last of his team had left the tunnel.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Meanwhile, the Baihumon Warriors threw open the door to their own temple, limping once again into the desert.

"I don't ever want to go through that again," Lou said, whipping the sweat and dirt from his forehead.

"Those warriors were tough," Tatum said, "But we needed to do it, Maria needed us."

"Don't say it like that," their Priestess said, holding the strange mirror in her hands, "You make it sound like I'm ordering you around or something."

"But you are the reason we're all here," Mimi smiled, "Because you need to summon Baihumon, and we're need to fight for you and protect you."

"Still…"

"What's our next move?" Sam asked.

"We need the other three Shinzahos," Steve said, "Including the Qinglongmon one."

"They probably have it already," Michael said, "We'd better get to the other temples, and fast."

"I think the Southern Temple of Zhuqioamon is the closest," Steve said, "But it's probably where the Qinglongmon team is going."

Michael nodded. "Gotcha. We're gonna need to get there fast."

Steve unrolled a scroll. "Well, according to Maria's scroll, the temple is located in a volcanic area, and we'll need to get over the mountains."

Michael nodded again. "All right, might as well get started."

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

The Qinglongmon Warriors had discovered the same thing and were making their own trek through the mountains. The journey to Zhuqioamon's temple was proving to be more difficult then they originally thought. The path was filled with sharp rocks and jagged cliffs. The path grew stepper at odd places, even become completely perpendicular. It was difficult enough to climb, but the added weight of carrying the injured Takeru made it worse.

"I can walk, you know," he said.

"Yeah, maybe you can," Yamato said, "But you're too injured. That wound's gonna open up again if you don't be careful."

Takeru sighed. Clearly this argument had been going on since they left the Qinglongmon Temple. "I fell so useless."

"You'll be fine once that wound heals some more," Sora said, "Any exertion now would just make the wound open again."

"Don't sweat it man," Daisuke grinned, "I'm sure whatever happens, there's going to be plenty of action."

At the front of the line, Taichi placed a hand over his forehead and scanned the horizon, bustling with volcanic activity. "Great, I guess it's just going to get hotter. Man! Ken, how much longer?"

The younger boy sighed and whipped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. "Well, I think the temple should be over those mountains," he said, "Hopefully, some of the southern Chosen Children escaped the Digital Hunters and are there to help us."

Hikari's eyes shot open. "Really? I mean, you think that others survived?"

"I don't see why not," Ken replied, "We couldn't have been the only ones who made it."

"I just hope that's true," Taichi sighed, "or else we're facing extinction."

"Not to mention having our friends attacking us," Yamato muttered.

Sora sighed deeply. "They're not our friends, not anymore. Not after what Mimi…" She clenched her fists and turned away. Yamato placed a hand on her shoulder, but she just brushed it off.

"Sorry, 'mato," she said, "But I just need to deal with this myself."

"I won't give up hope," Hikari said, "Maria, her warriors…she's just like me, they're just like us. I know that we'll be friends again, I know that…" Her words were cut off by a massive blast of energy that shot directly over her head and slammed into the rock wall, causing rocks to tumble to the ground. Only Daisuke's timely grab of Hikari saved her. Ken and Yamato hoisted Takeru and the warriors jumped out of harm's way.

Once they reached the top of the nearest hill, they could clearly see their attackers, standing on an adjacent ridge, their 'so-called' friends, the Baihumon Warriors, evolved to their highest levels.

Michael lowered his arm, his hand still smoking from his attack. "I got your attention. Now, hand over the Shinzaho you got from the Temple of Qinglongmon."

Taichi stared at him, hate dripping from his eyes. "You bas$!#! You almost killed my sister!" he shouted, "I'm gonna rip your head off!"

He slammed his hands into the boulder before him. The others were certain he had broken every bone in his hand, but surprisingly, he pointed to the Qinglongmon Warriors. "Evolve, now!"

Any anger the others had were replaced by fear at seeing him filled with rage. He did not even wait to see if the others evolved, but Taichi transformed into his armor, then evolved to Goku, then SSJ Goku. He screamed in rage and leapt into battle.

"Oniisan!" Hikari shouted, reaching her hand out after him. She looked to the others, "Help him! Please!"

The others did not need to respond, as they had already evolved to their highest levels and jumped into battle after Taichi.

Michael was surprised at the level of anger behind Taichi. He never really intended to hurt Hikari, only get their attention, but now he was afraid that Taichi would never let them leave alive. He was overcome with rage, but he was not thinking, and that might allow them to leave in one piece.

Taichi began to brutally beat into Michael as hard as he could. The blond warrior had only a few seconds to throw up his arms before Taichi's attack began. He struggled to protect his face, but Taichi's rage was fueling his attack. Not to mention that Taichi was at a higher level then Michael. His only hope would be to evolve, or else he was certain Taichi would kill him.

Mimi was not faring any better. Sora was not even speaking to her. She had thrown Mimi against one of the rock walls and was mercilessly slamming her fists into the other girl. Mimi was trying to get her hands up to at least deflect one of Sora's jabs, but so far she could not.

Despite his injury, Takeru's massive broad sword was still able to overpower Lou's simple daggers. He could fell his stomach wound began to open, but he continued to fight on.

While her warriors fought, Hikari stared at Maria on the other side of the battlefield. The Baihumon Priestess and the Qinglongmon Priestess locked eyed through the battle before them. Each one stared daggers at the other, wondering how the other could allow her warriors to fight like this. It soon became a staring contest, each one hoping that their battle of wills could end the battle of flesh occurring between them. However, Maria soon turned her attention away as she heard her warriors cry out. Hikari soon turned as well, seeing that her warriors had surrounded the Baihumon Warriors.

Michael and Mimi pressed tightly against one another, staring nervously at the Qinglongmon Warriors, awaiting the attack they knew was coming. Mimi glanced over at Maria, who was watching with wide eyes. "We can't let her down," she said, "We can't let Maria down. We've got to fight back!"

"How?" Tatum snapped, "In case you haven't noticed, they've got us!"

Mimi shook her head. "If we only had…more power."

Suddenly, each one of the Baihumon Warriors began to glow in a bright white light. "They're evolving!" Ken shouted.

"Brace yourselves!" Taichi ordered.

The light covering their opponents grew in intensity until it exploded, revealing the new Baihumon Warriors. Michael had evolved to SSJ Vegeta, Wallace into Dark Knight Cecil from _Final Fantasy IV,_ Steve into Ranma, Mimi into Sonya Blade from _Mortal Kombat, _Lou was now Tidus from _Final Fantasy X,_ Sam was now covered in the mechanical suit of armor Escaflowne, and Tatum was now much older, the adult version of Zelda.

The teams stared at each other for a few moments before Michael shot forward and slammed his fist into Taichi's face, which sent him flying backwards into the rocks of the mountain. Mimi instantly began to attack Sora, while Wallace and Daisuke traded jabs with their swords, Takeru and Lou tried to over power the other with their blades, Ken used his Black Magician card to keep Sam at bay, and Tatum used her Ocarina to scream notes at Noriko.

It was now Hikari's turn to be concerned. While Maria's warriors had just been renewed their energy, her warriors were weakened from the battle. If this continued, the Qinglongmon Warriors would lose. She focused on her brother. So far, Taichi was holding his own against Michael, as was Sora against Mimi, and Daisuke against Wallace. While Steve had just evolved, Yamato was fighting using a weapon, so given time, Yamato would win, but Noriko, Ken and Takeru were losing, fast. She needed to do something, but what?

She remembered that power she had at the fight against Amiboshi and Suboshi. How did she make that power work? She stared at Takeru and saw the blood stain began to grow once more. His wound opened up again! She stared at Noriko, who was clutched into a ball, trying to protect herself from the sound wave attacks of Tatum. Even her brother was starting to falter.

She could feel something well up insider of her, just light when she still possessed the Crest of Light, that strange power within her. Her body exploded with blue light, enveloping the battlefield. Each one of the Baihumon Warriors were flung from the enclosed bubble while the Qinglongmon Warriors were safe inside.

"What the…?" Steve gasped.

"It's a protective field," Lou said, "Like a barrier that we of the Baihumon Warriors cannot pass."

Maria stared in awe. "Can I…can I do something like that."

In the center of the circle, Hikari continued to pour out blue energy. Daisuke and Taichi ran to her side. "Hikari-chan!" Daisuke cried.

"Hikari, are you all right?" Taichi shouted.

"I've got an idea," she said. She took a deep breath before giving a scream, which sent the blue bubble expanding in all directions. When the outer edge smashed into the Baihumon Warriors, it sent them tumbling backwards. By the time they jumped back onto their feet, the Qinglongmon Warriors were gone.

"Darn it!" Tatum shouted, "They escaped again!"

Maria stared at her small hands. "Hikari used that power…do I have something like that?"

"Don't worry," Michael said, "If she uses that shield thing again, we'll find a way through it."

Maria nodded slightly, staring at the mirror in her hands, "We'll meet them again, in the Temple of Zhuqioamon."

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We had succeeded in getting the Shinzaho of Qinglongmon, but now we must head deep into the fiery regions of the Southern Hemisphere of the Digital World. Once inside the temple of Zhuqioamon, we'll probably have to face more ancient warriors to get that Shinzaho, but will the price be too high?


	12. Chapter XI: Eternal Farewell

During my time as the Qinglongmon Priestess, many days I will always remember, but one day will stand out in my mind forever. Not only was it the day that marked the beginning of the finally conflicts between the Qinglongmon Warriors and the Baihumon Warriors and the Digital Hunters, but it was the day that one of my oldest friends….

My grandmother used to tell me that everyone has great strength deep inside of them, and that many people are only able to call upon this strength once in their lives.

And she was right.

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The Chosen Warriors

_Chapter XI:_

_Eternal Farewell_

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Lord Sentry, Commander of the Digital Hunters, stared at a holographic image of the planet Earth. Recorder and another blond man were standing beside him. Hundreds of lights were blinking across the planet.

He grinned maliciously. "Operation: Sleeper is near completion. Soon…"

The younger blond man shook his head. "What about the Qinglongmon and Baihumon Warriors?"

"Ahab will be handling that."

"Ahab?" he gasped.

Recorder cleared her throat. "Our new plan is to defeat them one at a time, attacking them when they're in a group is ineffective as they can empower one another. By attacking them when they're alone, they should be easily overpowered."

"Will that work, brother?" he asked.

"I'm certain of it," Lord Sentry responded, "The warriors will die this day."

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Hikari wiped the sweat from her forehead as she stepped onto the volcanic area. "It's so hot here."

"Yeah, it is," Daisuke responded, "I've got pit stains the size of dinner plates."

"That's disgusting," Sora said.

He shrugged. "It's the truth."

"Try to hold on a little longer," Taichi said, "We're almost at that village that we saw from the ridge. Hopefully we'll find some friends there."

Noriko flinched as one of the volcano burped a stream of smoke and fire into the air. Ken smiled. "It's okay. I think these volcanoes haven't been active in years."

"Well, I just hope they don't start now."

Yamato turned to his younger brother. "How's your stomach?"

He rubbed it gently. "It stopped bleeding. I think it's going to be okay."

"Just don't strain yourself," Sora said, "Or that'll open again."

"I'll try," he said, "I just don't like the idea of not being able to help."

Hikari smiled. "Takeru, you've always helped me. Remember when we first met?"

"Yeah, wasn't it when we rescued you from Myotismon?"

"And then Tailmon and Patamon had to fire those arrows at Yamato and Taichi?" she smiled, "I felt so good being able to help."

"I didn't think it was good," Taichi said, "To tell the truth, I almost went to the bathroom in my pants."

"Yeah, ditto," Yamato said.

Hikari smiled. "Hey, remember the time you saved me when we were fighting Piemon? We almost didn't make it back that time."

Takeru laughed. "Yeah." He turned to his brother. "Do you remember that?"

"Not really. I was changed into a key chain, remember?"

"Oh yeah," he smiled.

"Key chains?" Daisuke gasped, "You were actually key chains?"

"Yeah," Sora nodded, "Now _that_ was weird experience. I thought I was going to end up living out the rest of my life in my mother's purse."

"Well don't worry," Daisuke grinned, "Once Hikari makes her wish, you won't have to worry about evil digimon like Piemon again!"

The Priestess of Qinglongmon blushed. "I…just hope so."

Taichi smiled and placed his arm around his younger sister. "Don't worry, it'll be okay."

"I hope so."

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They eventually reached a small village nestled in the center of the volcanic area. More Demimeramon and other fire type digimon ran out to meet them.

"Hello there," Noriko said, lightly rubbing her hand across a Demimeramon's back.

"Why have you come here?" one of the Agumons asked.

"It's okay," a female voice said, "They're friends."

"Mina!" Hikari smiled as the Indian Chosen Child stepped out of one of the brick huts littering the village.

She smiled and bowed. "It is good to see you again my friends."

"You escaped the Solution to the Chosen Children Problem," Taichi said.

She frowned. "Yes, although my family and my digimon partner were killed right before my eyes. There was so much suffering in my village…all because I was a Chosen Child." She smiled, "Now tell me, what brings you here?"

"The Temple of Zhuqioamon," Taichi responded.

"Yes, I do now where it is, but why are you looking for that?"

Hikari smiled. "It's a long story."

She mentioned to the hut she had just exited. "Then please, you must be tired. Come and rest."

After explaining their situation to Mina, she told them that she did not know where the Temple of Zhuqioamon was, but had a pretty good idea. She offered to take them as far as she could, but Taichi would not let her.

"You don't have a digimon partner anymore. I don't want you to get hurt."

"But…!"

He shook his head. "No. Just tell us where to go."

"Let's get some sleep then," Taichi said, "That's an order."

Daisuke could not sleep, however. After tossing and turning for most of the night, he got up and walked outside of the small hut. He stopped at the edge of the village and stared up at the volcanoes erupting into the night sky.

"Something wrong?"

Daisuke spun around and saw Takeru walking over. "Why aren't you sleeping?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he said.

Daisuke just turned back and stared at the night sky. "What's wrong?" Takeru asked.

He sighed. "All right, I'm worried."

"You?" he gasped, "But, you never worry."

"Maybe I never had anyone to worry about before!" he snapped, then shook his head. "I'm sorry."

Takeru just stared at him. This was something that was obviously bothering him. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He sighed. "I guess I'm worried about Hikari. Takeru, what if I lose her? What if the Baihumon Warriors or Digital Hunters get to her? What if I can't protect her?"

"You don't have to do it alone," he said, "The rest of us are here, too, remember? We're all here to protect Hikari."

"But, I need to protect her!"

"Why? Why you? Why is it always about you?"

Daisuke continued to stare in the sky. "What if I'm not good enough for her?"

"What?"

"She's so cute and smart and selfless, I know she can do so much better, what if she finds someone better then me?"

"That's ridiculous!" he exclaimed, "Daisuke, you're a great hero! Hikari loves you more then anything! The two of you are really in love with each other, right?"

"Yeah."

"I know that after everything's said and done, the two of you are going to live in happiness together."

"Are you sure?"

Takeru gently slapped his back. "Now stop worrying and get some sleep. I've got a feeling tomorrow's going to be a long day."

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The Baihumon Warriors had set up camp a few miles from the village. Lou was pacing the ground. "We know where they are! Why don't we stop them before they get the Shinzaho?"

Michael stared at him. "We don't know where the Shinzaho is!"

"And you're assuming they do?"

"Why are you fighting?" Mimi asked. "Lou, I never saw you like this before."

He hesitated, then turned away. "I…just want Maria to make her wishes."

Michael sighed. "Well, we don't know where the Shinzaho is, so just hang tight until the Qinglongmon Warriors start moving, then we'll follow them."

He sighed and jumped to his feet. He walked to the edge of their campsite, but Tatum stopped him.

"Wait! You're going after the Baihumon Warriors, right?"

"Yeah, don't try to stop me."

"I wasn't," she confessed, "Just…good luck."

He nodded. "Thanks." He took a deep breath and marched towards the rising sun.

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In another section of the volcanic wasteland, a monstrous figure was lumbering towards the warriors, and when this villainous being arrived, the lives of the Qinglongmon Warriors would never be the same again.

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The next morning, the Qinglongmon Warriors set out for the volcano that held the Temple of Zhuqioamon. After much persuasion, Taichi finally agreed to let Mina come with them, but they all agreed that they might find the Temple faster if they split up: Takeru, Daisuke, Ken and Hikari traveled in one direction, while Taichi, Sora, Noriko, Yamato and Mina traveled in another.

Takeru's group took a high road, traveling across the volcanic chain of mountains, while Taichi's group took the lower route, traveling around the mountains. Each group hoped that they would find the temple soon, because they knew that their enemies were closing in on them.

Daisuke and Ken were in the lead, which left Takeru and Hikari safely in the rear. The blond boy knew that the only reason he was in the rear was because he was injured. He hated to feel useless, he needed to prove himself to the others again.

"Is something bothering you?"

He turned to see Hikari's questioning gaze. "Uh, no, nothing."

She just nodded and turned away. Takeru could tell that she was staring at Daisuke. "You really love him, don't you?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

"You two really do make a cute couple," he smiled, "And I just know that at the end of all of this, you'll live happily ever after."

She hugged him. "You're a great friend, you know that?"

Their journey eventually took them to a rocky, cliff like area where the path was only inches long in some places. "I'll scout ahead," he said, "To make sure it's safe."

"Are you sure?" Ken asked, "I can come with you."

Takeru was about to protest, but then stared at Daisuke and Hikari. He nodded. "All right. Come on."

"Well if he's gonna go, we might as well," the younger goggle-wearer said.

"No, we'll be right back," Takeru smiled, "Relax. Let's go, Ken."

The two Qinglongmon Warriors quickly traveled across the treacherous path, careful not to lose their footing in the narrow areas.

"Why were you so eager to leave?" Ken asked, lightly putting his weight down on a cracked ledge.

"I just wanted to give them some time to themselves," Takeru said, "They really need some time alone, to talk about what they're feeling."

They continued on in silence. Eventually, the small ledges gradually grew larger and brought them up to a gentle slope that stretched to the top of a large volcano. The mountain side was cracked in various places and steam poured out from the fissures. It was the strange building near the mouth of the volcanic mountain, however, that caught their eyes.

Takeru smiled. "Ken, is that the Temple?...Ken?"

He turned to his friend, only to see a sight that made his spine turn to ice, Ken was lying on the ground, unconscious, while a menacing figure glared at the blond young man. "Lou," Takeru sneered, "What did you do to Ken?"

"He's fine," the Baihumon Warrior said, stepping over the fallen warrior, "I just knocked him out. I don't want any interruptions."

"Why?"

"Because I'm going to kill you," he said, "For embarrassing me in front of Maria, for beating me every time!"

Takeru shook his head. "Lou, listen to me, I…"

The Baihumon warrior quickly evolved all the way to his final level of Tidus from _Final Fantasy X._ He swung his sword forward and pointed at Takeru. "Evolve or don't, either way, this sword will be through your chest!"

Takeru clenched his fists and quickly evolved to his final level of Cloud Stryfe from _Final Fantasy VII._ He swung his massive sword in front of him a few times before holding it with both hands and staring directly in Lou's face. The Baihumon Warrior suddenly sprinted forward and attempted to attack by swing his sword down from the air, but Takeru swung his own sword up to block it. He desperately held back Lou's sword as best he could, but he was standing lower on the slope of the mountain and Lou was higher, giving him leverage and gravity was on his side. Takeru had to shift his weight in order to keep his head, but when he tried to slide his foot back, the dust and pebbles covering the mountain caught his foot and his fell backwards. Fortunately, he was able to swing his other foot around, knocking Lou over.

Both combatants jumped back on their feet and continued to attack. Their swords met many times as they moved across the mountain slope, clashing and clanging. Lou's sword slice Takeru's arm, ripping his shirt and lightly drawing blood. Takeru punched the Baihumon Warrior in the face, then attacked with his sowrd in the other hand. However, Lou was able to block with his own sword. Both warriors broke off their attacks and stared at one another.

"I don't understand why you're doing this," Takeru said.

"Because Maria needs to make her wishes!" he shouted, "I owe her that much."

"What?"

"I've known Maria since we were both really little. The school we went too…we were the only ones that _weren't_ Caucasians. It was like just the two of us…" He yelled out and charged forward, swinging his sword as fast as he could. Takeru jumped back, narrowly missing the blade. He landed on the ground and swung his foot around, knocking the Baihumon Warrior back onto the ground. He jumped back onto his feet and started to punch Lou as hard as he could.

"You think I don't understand? What do you think about me and Hikari, huh? When we went into the Digital World the first time, we were the youngest ones! Everyone else seemed so big and powerful-it was just the two of us! I swore I'd do anything to protect Hikari, and make sure her wishes come true! I know exactly how you feel!"

He slowly stopped his assault and Lou jumped back onto his feet. He stared at Takeru, panting loudly. "M…maybe we're not so different after all, then."

"Yeah, that's right," he said, "We both want the same thing for that one girl that was always there for us, to help her make her wishes. We're both here to serve and protect our Priestesses"

Lou sighed and nodded. "Yeah, but, where does that leave…_us_?"

Takeru shrugged. "I…I don't know."

"Well, maybe…" he suddenly stopped talking and lurched forward. His head fell backwards and his body went limp.

"Lou?" Takeru cried, "Lou!" His eyes drifted down to the Baihumon Warrior's chest, and saw a large red spot began to form. He looked over the fallen warrior to see a massive figure standing behind him, a familiar Digital Hunter, who had slammed a sharp knife through Lou's back.

"Ahab!" Takeru gasped.

"I'm glad to see you remember me," he said, grinning maliciously, "I've been ordered to destroy you, so, no offense, just following orders."

He flung Lou off of his blade, and the Baihumon Warrior fell down the mountain slope, disappearing in a mix of pebbles and dust. Takeru would have gone to help him, if Ahab had not chosen that moment to begin his attack by slamming his hammer into the Qinglongmon Warrior's shoulder, sending him flying backwards. Takeru jumped back onto his feet and charged forward, his sword ready for blood. He slashed as hard as he could, but only attacked empty air. Ahab was gone.

Takeru started swinging his head around, searching the mountain side. How could something so big completely disappear?

He heard a loud rumble and spun around just in time to see Ahab charging at him from behind one of the steam geysers. Takeru barely managed to block the hammer attack with his sword. Unfortunately, the Digital Hunter hammer knocked the sword from the Qinglongmon Warrior's hand. Before he could react, Ahab grabbed Takeru sides with his massive hands, squeezing as hard as he could, and the wound on his side ripped open. Takeru screamed in pain.

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Hikari and Daisuke were still seated in the area where Takeru and Ken had left them. The Priestess of Qinglongmon suddenly felt a sharp chill shoot down her spin. She cried out and fell onto her knees.

"Hikari-chan!" Daisuke cried, rushing to her side, "Hikari-chan! Wh..what's wrong?"

"I…I just felt like…like part of my soul just got ripped out! I…I don't…" She gasped loudly.

"Takeru! Something's happened to Takeru! We..we've got to find him!"

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Takeru could feel the injury in his stomach rip open once more. His sides were on fire as blood gushed from the wound. Ahab laughed. "I didn't know you were already missing part of your abdomen." He squeezed even harder. "I guess this won't take long at all, and then when I'm done with you, I'll take care of your unconscious friend over there, and then I'll capture your Priestess, and watch as Lord Sentry slowly destroys her."

"Hikari!" Takeru shouted, "No! You….won't….hurt….her!" His hands were free, so his brought them above his head and locked them together. Despite the extreme pain, he slammed them down as hard as he could into Ahab's head. The Digital Hunter released his grip on the Qinglongmon Warrior and staggered back. Takeru dove for his sword.

"I've only got one chance at this," he panted. He glanced down at his stomach, which was already covered with blood from his open wound, "But…" He shook his head. "Hikari's in trouble, I've got to stop this guy."

He gripped his sword tightly and once again charged at the Digital Hunter. Ahab readied himself and swung his hammer forward, intending to smack Takeru to the ground, but the Qinglongmon Warrior suddenly leapt into the air, missing the Digital Hunter's attack.

Takeru raised his sword and shouted out, "Omnislash!"

His body was suddenly covered with energy and he began to slice and slash at Ahab at an incredible rate. He was moving faster then the human eye could hope to see. The Digital Hunter could not even manage a defense. Finally, Takeru raised his sword high over his head and slashed down for a final time. The Digital Hunter went limp and he slammed into the ground.

Takeru panted loudly, sweat pouring down his face. He smiled to himself, then felt an immeasurable pain shot through his body. He had never felt a pain like this before, but he knew what caused it. With what energy he still had, he glanced down to his stomach, his entire shirt was covered with blood. He tried to stay on his feet for as long as he could, but his energy soon ran out and he fell to the ground.

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By the time Daisuke and Hikari arrived, Ken had already awoken and was trying his best to tend to Takeru's massive wounds. Daisuke stood in shock while Hikari cried out and ran over to her fallen friend.

"Takeru!" she screamed, "Takeru…what…what…Takeru!"

He slowly opened his eyes. "H…hikari." He smiled, "I'm…glad you're safe."

"What happened!" Daisuke shouted.

"B…battle," he coughed, "I won, if you're wondering…."

Ken jumped to his feet and ran to whisper into Daisuke's ear. "I can't do anything," he confessed, "If only Jyou were here."

"What about Noriko?" Daisuke suggested, "She helped before."

He nodded. "Good idea. I'll go to find them." He ran back through the cliff-path. Daisuke turned back to his fallen friend. Hikari was kneeling beside him, gently cradling his head in her lap.

"Takeru…Takeru…." she repeated.

Daisuke shook his head with rage. "How the hell could you think about fighting alone?"

"Daisuke!" Hikari scowled him, "Stop it!"

Takeru chuckled weakly. "It's been a long time since I heard you yell at me. Remember how we used to argue all the time? Weird, huh? That I'd think of that…right now…"

Hikari looked at him questioningly. "Takeru?"

He smiled again. "Hikari, I just want you to know, that I will always be your friend, and that I've never been happier in my life, then I was when I was a Warrior of Qinglongmon, when I was one of your protectors."

"T..takeru…" she laughed, "Y..you're acting like I'll never see you again."

He ignored her and continued speaking. "I…I just know that when this whole thing is over, you'll both live happily ever after. I know you will." His smile grew even larger and eyes slowly closed.

"Takeru!" Hikari screamed, "Takeru!"

"S…still here," he muttered, "still…still…here…"

Then, it happened. Hikari felt it instantly. No, she did not feel something, it was more like, she suddenly felt nothing, an emptiness that she felt to the depths of her heart and soul. She gently released her friend, and her body began to shake violently, loud sobs coming from deep within her.

Daisuke fell to his knees, staring blankly at his hands. He was not sure how long he sat there, but Hikari's sobs eventually brought him out of his spell. He reached over and pulled her towards him, hugging her as tight as he could.

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When Ken found the others, he lead them to the volcanic slope as fast as they could run. However, when they saw the horrific sight before them, they slowed to a stop. Everyone stared with a cold, chilling feeling in their hearts.

"D..daisuke!" Taichi called, "W..what happened?"

The younger goggle-wear slowly walked over to the group. He took a deep breath. "T…takeru fought…alone…he…he…" He could not finish as tears began to form in his eyes.

"Takeru…" Yamato said in a weak voice, "…Takeru…" He fell to his knees, and began to pound the ground with rage and furry. Sora placed her hands onto his shoulder and massaged them. "Takeru!"

Hikari heard Yamato's cry for his brother and she began to sob even louder. She buried her face in her hands and cried, long and hard. Memories of Takeru began to flood her mind, bombarding her every sense. Her friend was all around her.

She was not sure how long she cried for, but when she finally removed her hands, she saw that the others were standing around Takeru's body, which Mina had covered with a sheet. Everyone had tears in their eyes.

Daisuke noticed that she was staring at them, and helped her to her feet. "Come on, Hikari," he gently said, "If Lou and Ahab were here, then the Baihumon Warriors and the Digital Hunters can't be far behind."

"I don't care," she said.

"What?"

"I'm not going on."

"What are you talking about? What about summoning Qinglongmon?"

"I'm not doing it!" she screamed, "Who cares about my wishes; Takeru's dead! Is this what it takes to summon Qinglongmon? Is this what it takes to get wishes granted? Friends have to die! I won't do it!"

"Hikari!" Taichi snapped, "What do you think you're doing? You can't just stop now! What about…"

He was cut off when Yamato stepped in front of him. He sighed deeply as he addressed his Priestess. "Hikari, I know how you're feeling, because I feel it a thousand times worse. He was your friend, but he was my brother. And when I think about…about how I'll never see him again…" He took a deep breath, keeping his tears under control, "I'm sad, we all are, but I know that he wouldn't want us to cry over him. He'd want us to live _for_ him. He died for you, for us…it would make him so happy, if we used what he gave us, to continue on, to get the Shinzaho, to summon Qinglongmon. I know he would rest in peace, if we could do that."

Hikari was crying as Yamato lead her over to Takeru's body. "It's time to say goodbye."

"Takeru!" she sobbed, "T..thank you, thank you for every thing you ever did for me. Thank you, and I'll always miss you."

Daisuke spoke next. "Takeru, I'm sorry for all those times I fought with you. You always were a great friend."

Ken sighed deeply. "I wish I could have helped you. If I wasn't unconscious, then maybe you'd still be…" He shook his head, "Goodbye my friend, may you rest in peace."

Noriko sniffled. "I wish I could have gotten to know you better, it ended too soon. Goodbye."

Sora wiped away her tears. "You were always so selfless and caring. You did so much for us, I just wish it didn't have to end like this."

Taichi spoke next. "Takeru, I still remember you as that little kid who seemed so weak, but you weren't. You had the biggest heart out of all of us, and you proved it time and again. I will miss you."

Yamato was last. "My brother, my little baby brother…I still remember when I saw you for the first time in that hospital room. Dad told me that it was my job to watch out for you…" He chuckled, "But it seems like you were the one that always looked out for me. Takeru…you will always be my brother…and I will always miss you."

Hikari pushed past the tears and forced a smile as she lead her Qinglongmon Warriors up the mountain slope towards the temple that was resting near the mouth of the volcano. The warriors stood proud and determined as they walked through the large doors. They would press on, and never forget their noble and courageous friend.

As the doors closed, Yamato gave one final glance at the mountain side…

…and the grave marked with a large buster sword.

_""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""_

Takeru was one of my oldest friends, with a heart that few could ever match. He fought long and hard for his friends, and tried to find the good in everyone. He always thought of others first, and never once considered turning his back on anyway.

Takeru, my friend, I will never forget you.


	13. Chapter XII: Guardians of Fire

After the death of Takeru, I thought my entire world had ended. It was true that Daisuke was my true love, but Takeru was my best friend. He was there from the first moment I stepped into the Digital World, he saved me from Piedmon, he supported and help me, no matter what.

But I knew that I had to continue. Everyone else was counting on me. I hate to admit it, but I was scared about stepping into the Temple of Zhuqioamon. I wondered what kind of Priestess she was, what kind of warriors she had. And I wondered, would I be a legend one day?

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The Chosen Warriors

_Chapter XI:_

_Guardians of Fire_

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Hikari could not help but shiver, despite the heat that was radiating from deep in the hallway. She glanced at the images carved in the walls, images of a young girl with brown hair and seven warriors surrounding her. "That's her, right? I mean, the Priestess of Zhuqioamon?"

Ken nodded. "Yes, I think so."

"Can they tell me anything about her?"

The Chosen Child shook his head. "I don't know. I can't read these inscriptions."

Hikari breathed out a sigh of relief. "That's good…that's good."

Taichi turned to her. "Why do you want to know so much about the other Priestesses?"

She smiled weakly. "I..I guess its just…reassuring to know that I wasn't the only one to go on this kind of journey, to summon a god."

"Hey," Daisuke said, "It wouldn't matter if you were, you're still brave enough and strong enough to do this."

"I…I don't know," she said, "After all, I couldn't save Takeru."

"Stop it!" Yamato shouted so loud she was afraid that Taichi would start yelling at him, but to her surprise, he was silent. Yamato continued speaking, "Takeru wouldn't want you to blame yourself. Hikari, I know it's hard, but you've got to continue on, no matter what, or else are you going to let everything he did for you be for nothing?"

Hikari stared, her mouth open. She finally nodded. "Y..you're right. Thank you."

They continued on silence, each one thinking about the friend they had left buried outside. He had made the ultimate sacrifice for Hikari, and they wondered if they would be next. Who knows what might happen, but the thought that scared all of them was, if it came right down to it, would they be able to give up their lives for their Priestess?

Eventually, after walking for what seemed like hours, the brick walls of the temple slowly changed into simple rock, before the walls vanished completely. They were standing inside a massive cavern, and it was much hotter then before.

"We must actually be _inside_ the volcano now," Ken said, stepping forward to examine the cavern. "These stalactites must be thousands of years old, amazing!"

Hikari smiled, but gasped loudly.

"What's wrong?" Daisuke asked.

"Someone's here!"

The Qinglongmon Warriors snapped to attention and stared forward. They could make out two figures walking towards them through the smoke billowing out of cracks in the ground. One had fiery red hair and carried a metal fan; the other wore a strange mask and held a monk's staff in his hands.

The one with the red hair spoke first. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

The brown-haired girl took a deep breath and stepped forward. "My name is Hikari Yagami, and I am the Priestess of Qinglonmon."

"Qinglongmon?" the other one asked, "You mean Seiryuu?"

"That's right," Ken said.

"Well, what do you want?" the red-headed one asked, "If you're looking for your temple, you're completely in the wrong place."

Hikari shook her head. "No. We couldn't summon Qinglongmon correctly, and…"

"And now you need the Shinzaho, right?" the monk asked.

"So, are you gonna give it to us, or what?" Taichi asked.

The red-headed warrior glanced at his partner. "I don't know, Chichiri, do you think we can trust them?"

"Seiryuu Seven? I don't know. They'll have to prove it to us."

Hikari felt her heart slip somewhere into her stomach. "Another…fight?"

"We'll take care of this, Hikari," Taichi said.

"N..no," she said, "D…don't…"

Her warriors ignored her and quickly evolved to their highest forms and jumped in front of her. The red-headed warrior laughed. "All right, now this is what I'm talking about!" He grabbed the metal fan on his back and whipped it out, screaming as he did.

"_Rekka Shien!"_

The Qinglongmon Warriors dove to the ground to avoid the blast, Taichi yanking Hikari to the ground as he fell. The wave of flame shot over their heads. The red-headed warrior laughed.

"I though you guys were warriors! Jeeze, if you fold that easily, how are you ever going to protect your priestess?"

Sora stared at him, fire began to burn in her own eyes. "You think you're so tough?"

He stared at her. "Why don't you show me how strong you are." He reached for his fan. "_Rekka Shien!"_

Sora, in her final evolution of Sailor Moon, reached for her scepter and whipped it out before her in a manner similar to her opponent. "_Moon Princess Halation"_

The two attacks exploded into one another, creating a blast of fire and light. When the smoke cleared, they began to attack, solely using their weapons alone.

Hikari stared in horror. "Sora…don't…"

"Hang on Sora!" Yamato called. He grabbed his twin katanas and leapt after his girlfriend. He was stopped, however, when the monk thrusted his staff out before him. Yamato's entire body went ridged, and he appeared to be floating in mid-air!

"I'm sorry," the monk said, "But until you prove yourselves to us, I'm afraid we'll have to fight, ya know."

Hikari continued to stare. "No…stop…"

"We're coming, Yamato!" Daisuke shouted. He and the other Qinglongmon warriors rushed to their aid of their friends. Hikari watched as her brother and Noriko rushed to help Sora, while Daisuke and Ken tried their best to free Yamato from his sudden paralysis. She stared as Taichi fired a _Kamaehamaeha _at the red-headed warrior, while Noriko sang as hard as she could. She turned to watch Daisuke execute well maneuvered sword techniques, and Ken used his Duel Monsters against the monk. She watched them, but all she could see was Takeru, lying on the ground, bruised and bloody.

"Stop it!" she screamed. Once again, her body was covered by a mysterious blue light that completely illuminated the cavern and enveloped everything inside. The battle instantly stopped as everyone stared at the Priestess of Qinglongmon.

"Hikari-chan?" Daisuke questioned.

"I won't let anyone else die because of me!" she shouted, the light only growing in intensity, "I don't want anymore Takerus!"

"Hikari!" Taichi shouted.

The two defenders also stared at her. The monk was the one who spoke. "You've lost one of your warriors?"

"What's it matter to you?" Sora spat.

The red-headed warrior shot her a glance, but the monk continued speaking. "Tell me, priestess, why do you wish to summon Seiryuu, ya know?"

Hikari slowly began to calm down, the blue light diminishing. "I… want to make sure the Digital World is safe, and I want everyone on Earth to become a Chosen, so that we won't be hunted any more."

"I…see." He turned to the other warrior. They appeared to be communicating telepathically, but the monk turned back to her. "Tell me, what is your name priestess."

"It…it's Hikari."

"Hikari," the red-headed one said, "I think it suits you, right?"

The monk nodded. "We can see you truly care for your warriors, ya know? And your wish seems selfless and honorable, ya know. So, we'll give you the Shinzaho."

Hikari broke into a grin. "Really?"

"You got it," the red-headed one said.

The monk quickly walked to the opposite wall, where a small raised pedestal had been chiseled out of the volcanic stone. He removed an object that was resting on top and brought it over to Hikari, who gently lifted it.

"A ring?"

"That's right," he said, "That's what our Priestess was wearing when she summoned Suzaku, ya know."

The Priestess of Qinglongmon held it in the light. "Wow."

The red-headed warrior grinned. "You've proven yourself to us. Feel proud. We've guarded that for what seems like forever."

Noriko stared at them. "You mean, you're…dead? Just like the other ones?"

He shrugged. "Eh, what're ya gonna do, right?"

The monk nodded. "Maybe one day two of you will be chosen to guard the Shinzaho that your Priestess leaves behind."

Ken stared at the simple ring. "Amazing."

"Great," Taichi said, "Now we need to get the Xuwanamon one and the Baihumon one."

"We wish you all the luck, ya know," the monk said, "Farewell, and never give up hope, ya know."

The red-headed one stared at the six remaining Qinglongmon Warriors. "And you guys better protect her, no matter what, got me?"

"Yeah," Daisuke said, "I won't let anything happen to her."

As the Qinglongmon Warriors exited the cavern, the two Suzaku Warriors watched them leave. "That Priestess," the red-headed on said, "She cares so much for her warriors."

"Yeah," the monk said, "She reminds me of Miaka."

When Hikari exited the cave, she was still holding the ring. She reached into her pocket and removed the earrings that they won from the two guardians at the Temple of Qinglongmon. "Now we've got two of them."

"Just be careful with them, all right?"

She turned to her older brother. "Do you always have to act so grumpy, Oniisan? Come on, smile."

They soon exited the temple itself and stood on the volcanic mountain side. Suddenly without warning, a figure leapt off of the top of the temple, and managed to grab the two Shinzaho objects that were resting on her open palm. Before anyone could react, the figure had used his momentum to slide down the steep slope of the mountain.

Hikari blinked a few times, staring at her now empty palm. "W…what?"

"That was Lou!" Daisuke shouted, running down the slope after him "He stole the two Shinzahos!"

Taichi stared at his sister, running after Daisuke. "I told you to be careful!"

"Now's not the time to yell at her!" Sora scowled.

They tried to chase Lou as best they could, but soon lost him in the maze of mountain paths and volcanoes.

"Just great!" Taichi shouted, "Now what the hell do we do?"

"What about the other Shinzaho?" Yamato asked, "There's still one more, right?"

"And the Baihumon Warriors need it too," Daisuke said, "If we just go there, we might have a chance to get them back."

Taichi nodded. "All right. Ken, find us the quickest route to the Temple of Xuwanamon."

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Michael quickly jumped up from the bed he was sharing with Mimi as the flap of his tent flew open and Wallace ran inside. "Sorry to bother you, but you've got to come outside, right now!"

Michael quickly ran outside, and saw a sight that made him gasp, Lou, lying on the ground, bleeding profusely from what seemed to be every pore in his body. Tatem and Phil were trying their best to stop the blood, but it was no use.

"What happened?" he shouted.

"S…shinzaho," he muttered, opening his had to reveal the earrings and ring he stole from Hikari.

"Who did this to you?" Tatem asked, "It was the Qinglongmon Warriors, right?"

Lou did not really hear her question, and he wanted to tell her that Takeru was dead, killed by Ahab of the Digital Hunters. However, all he was able to say was, "Takeru…" before closing his eyes forever.

"They did it!" Tatem shouted, "Takeru killed him!"

Michael slowly shook his head. "I…I don't believe it, how could they…?"

"They're dangerous!" Tatem shouted, "Now do you see it?"

He nodded. "Y..yeah." He clenched his fist in anger. "They'll pay for this! I'll have Yagami's head on a pike for this!" He turned to Wallace, "Get the camp ready to leave, give us an hour, then we're off."

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When the Qinglongmon Warriors returned to the small village, they were greeted by Mina. "How did it go?"

Taichi shook his head. "We need to get to the Temple of Xuwanamon as soon as possible."

She nodded. "I believe there is a certain water way that can take you there. I can organize a ship for you, but, it probably won't be ready until tomorrow morning."

"But, we've got to leave now!" Hikari protested.

"I…I am sorry," she said, "But, this village's yearly festival is approaching. Why not recuperate tonight, and then set off tomorrow."

"I don't think we have much of a choice," Taichi sighed, "All right guys, it looks like we're taking the night off."

They walked back to their small huts, depressed and tired. As she passed by Takeru's empty bed, Hikari felt a sharp pain in her heart. She thought of her fallen friend, she thought of the lost Shinzahos, and she thought of what might happen if she lost anything else. They were more then just Warriors, they were her greatest friends. What would she do if she lost Noriko, Ken or even Taichi? She knew it was only a thought, but her mind suddenly became flooded with an image of Takeru's final breath, but this time it was her older brother. She collapsed onto the bed and cried.

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The festival was very beautiful. The Qinglongmon Warriors split off to enjoy the excitement.

Sora gave a small gasp and ran over to one of the vender tents. She was staring at two gold necklaces, one was cut in the shape of a male and the other cut in the shape of a female. "Yamato, look at these!"

"Do you like them?" the Meramon inside the tent asked, "Very cheep price."

Yamato stared at them. "What do they mean?"

"I can see you are a couple deeply in love, so I will tell this to you: the two necklaces are meant to be worn by a special couple. The legend says that as long as both couples wear them, they will never be separated."

The red-head stared at her lover. "Please?"

The Meramon nodded even further. "For you, very low price."

Yamato sighed. "All right." He quickly paid for the necklaces and Sora proudly placed it over her neck.

"Oh, I can't wait to show Mimi! She'll…" Her smile faded. "Oh."

Yamato placed his arm around her. "I know it hurts Sora, no one should ever have to lose a friend," he glanced to the ground, "Or a brother."

Sora twirled around and hugged him tightly. "Promise me you'll never go anywhere, promise me you'll never leave me."

Yamato smiled and returned the embrace. "I promise, I'll stay with you forever."

On the other side, Taichi, Noriko and Ken were waiting on line for a chance at one of the games, particularly the water gun game. Well, actually, Taichi and Ken wanted to play, Noriko just went along.

When it was their turn, Taichi and Ken eagerly grabbed the water guns. "I'm gonna beat you so bad!" Taichi grinned.

"Oh yeah?" Ken challenged, "I'm still the best!"

Behind them, Noriko chuckled slightly. "Are all boys like this?"

"Come on," Taichi nudged, "You're playing too."

She shook her head. "Oh, I don't know…"

Ken shoved the gun in her hands. "Come on."

The Guilmon behind the counter raised his claw. "Began!"

The three humans instantly pulled on the triggers. Taichi and Ken's aim was almost dead on, quickly filling their water balloons. "I'm gonna kick your butt!" Ken shouted.

"Give it up!" the older boy shouted, "There's no way you can win!"

Suddenly, the lights around the game began to blink brightly. "We have a winner!" the Guilmon cheered.

Ken and Taichi's balloons were still only half full. They stared at each other, then back at the Guilmon, who said, "Well, what's your prize, missy?"

The two boys shot their heads to the end of the line, where Noriko was smiling broadly. "I'll take the Panda."

The Guilmon handed her the largest stuffed panda. She grinned and face Taichi and Ken. "That was really easy."

"Everyone gets lucky their first time," Ken lied.

"Yeah," Taichi said, "We'll beat you at the next one."

An hour and twenty games later found the trio heading back to their huts, Taichi and Ken's arms full of large stuffed animals. They dumped them into the girl's hut and both boys whipped the sweat from their foreheads.

"Come on," Noriko said, "There's a few game booths that we haven't got to yet."

Ken sighed. "This is like having a girlfriend!"

Taichi shook his head. "Hey, she kinda young for me."

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Daisuke and Hikari, meanwhile, were seated on a small ridge, watching the festival below. The lights of the village were perfectly placed before the star-filled night sky. He smiled. "Ya know, I don't really say something like this, but it's really beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess."

He turned to her. "What's wrong?"

She sighed. "I failed."

"What?"

"I failed everyone! I lost the Shinzahos! And worse, I failed Takeru. I let his sacrifice be for nothing!"

He sat down beside her and hugged her. "Hikari, listen to me, we'll get the Shinzaho back, don't blame yourself for that, okay?"

"But…"

"Okay?"

She hesitated, then nodded. "Okay."

He smiled. "Listen, you're everyone's hope. We're all counting on you."

"But…what if I let you down? What if we can't get the Shinzaho back?"

"Then we'll deal with that."

"But what if I lose Taichi? What if I lose you? I can't….I can't lose another friend!"

"Hikari…Hikari-chan, listen to me," he gently embraced her, "You can't worry about stuff like that. I know it's hard to lose Takeru, but we can't change that." He sighed. "Someone told me once that the world is full of comings and goings, that is the way of it. I know its sad, but we have to accept the first going there was among us."

Hikari sniffled slightly. "I still miss him."

"I miss him too."

She turned to him. "I'm just so afraid of losing you."

"You'll never lose me, no matter what, I'll always be with you." He smiled, "Besides, the hero can't die because he always gets the girl, and I've already got the girl, right?"

She laughed. "You always could make me laugh, that's what I fell in love with. Don't ever change."

"Don't plan to."

She laughed again. "I love you."

"I love you too."

The two lovers embraced, kissing passionately as fireworks began to exploded in the night sky.

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I had the Shinzaho, both of them. They were in my hands, before they were taken, stolen. I can't ever forget that, I failed.

It was supposed to be easy. Once I had the three Shinzahos, we could just take the one that the Baihumon Warriors had, then I could summon Qinglongmon, and everything would be okay. No one else would have to fight, no one else would have to die, but now, because of me, we're forced to fight the Baihumon Warriors again. I don't want to lose anyone else!


	14. Chapter XIII: Destiny's Embrace

Our attempts to summon Qinglongmon ended in failure. The Digital Hunters ambushed us, destroying the only place in the Digital World to summon the beast-god. In order to continue our mission, we had to find the four Shinzahos, which would allow us to bypass the ritual and continue with the summoning. We won the Qinglongmon Shinzahos, a blue earring, and then we won the Zhuqioamon Shinzaho, a ring…but then I lost them both, not to mention Takeru.

And now we've arrived in the Northern Quadrant, where we'll find the Temple of Xuwanamon, where the last Shinzaho is located. If we can't win this one, we might as well give up, Maria would have all four Shinzahos, and be able to summon Baihumon.

I can't lose, I just can't.

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The Chosen Warriors

_Chapter XIII:_

_Destiny's Embrace_

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Lord Sentry grinned. "So?"

"Ahab is dead!" the younger blond man shouted, "Doesn't that matter to you!"

"Of course," he said, "But Ahab knew the risks when he agreed to that mission. Takeru Takashi was a dangerous foe, but when Operation: Sleeper is activated, they will all pay."

The other man gasped. "Sleeper is ready?"

"That's right, my younger brother, Sleeper is ready."

"When…?"

"Legends say that when the moon was full, an ordinary man could transform into a fearsome wolf creature, that would terrorize the local towns and villages. Tonight is a full moon, and once it reaches its zenith, the Sleepers will awaken, transformed into their new selves, and the world will scream in terror!"

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Sora cheered and began to jump up and down, waving her hands. "Anna! Anna!" She ran away from the group and darted down the snow covered hill and into the village of snow digimon. The others followed and found her hugging a girl with short blond hair. "I'm so glad you're alive!"

"Me too," Anna smiled. She looked over the red-head's shoulder. "Is this your friends?" she asked in broken Japanese.

She nodded. "Yes."

"Where are Miyako?"

Her smile faded. "Um, she didn't…ah…make it."

Anna frowned as well. "Yes. Lola was killed too."

"What about Yuri?" Sora asked with a smile.

"He is fine, fine."

"Yuri?" Yamato whispered.

"I'm sorry," Daisuke said, "But we don't really have time. Where's the Temple of Xuwanamon?"

"There was another group that came before us," Taichi said," the New York Team. Are they here?"

She nodded. "Yes.. I believe that Yuri showed them to the Temple."

"What?" he shouted, "We've got to get there now!"

"Please forgive them," Hikari bowed, "But we really are in a hurry."

Anna nodded. "Yes, come."

As the Qinglongmon Warriors followed her, Yamato whispered to Sora. "Yuri?"

Anna quickly lead them over snow covered mountains. "How long until we reach the temple?" Ken asked.

"A few minutes," she said, "Not much longer."

"Do you know how long ago Xuwanamon was summond?"

"No, I do not, but the temple says it was Genbu."

"Another Japanese name," he said, "I wonder why."

Noriko shivered. "It's getting ever colder."

"Keep your hands beneath your arm pits," Taichi said, "That should keep them warm."

Hikari smiled. "What?" Taichi asked.

"Nothing," she said, "I just think it's cute the way you look out for her."

He blushed and turned away. "We're almost there, right?"

Anna nodded. "Yes, it will not…" She suddenly gasped and shouted in Russian. The only word that could definitely make out was, "Yuri."

They followed her and saw that she was kneeling beside a blond man, who was lying in the snow. "Yuri!" Sora shouted, "Is he okay?"

Yuri was able to stand, and Taichi helped him to his feet. Anna and Yuri spoke to each other in a flurry of Russian. Finally, Anna responded to them in the best Japanese she could.

"He said that he led the New York team to the temple, but they attacked him from behind. How could Michael let his team do that?"

Taichi clenched his fist. "Where's the temple?"

She pointed to the top of a snow covered mountain, where a large stone temple could be seen in the blizzard. Taichi nodded. "All right. Let's get inside before we freeze to death."

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Maria had to blink a few times as she entered the complex of the Temple of Xuwanamon. Before her stretched a long tunnel, surrounded on all sides by ice. She shivered. "I don't like this place."

Mimi stepped up behind her and placed another coat around her small frame. "Try this, but if you're still cold, you can wait outside."

She shook her head. "No…I…I need to do this."

Sam placed a pair of binoculars over his eyes and focused on the base of the mountain. "It's the Qinglongmon Warriors. They're here!"

Michael nodded. "All right, let's hurry and get the Shinzaho. Close the door and let's go."

Tatem nodded and she and Sam slid the giant doors closed. They quickly ran after the others, but the braided-haired girl continued to stare at the door until it vanished around the corner.

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When the Qinglongmon Warriors reached the closed door, the blizzard had quickly picked up. Ken and Yamato tried to open the door, but were shocked when it would not budge.

"What's wrong!" Taichi shouted over the wind.

"The door's stuck or something!" Yamato shouted back.

Hikari shivered, rubbing her arms. Daisuke glanced over his shoulder at the fierce wind and snow blowing in every direction. "We've got to hurry, or we'll freeze to death!"

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Back inside, the Baihumon Warriors had arrived at a large stone door at the end of the hall. There was a carving of a large turtle in the rock, with seven glowing stars around it. "I guess this is the place," Wallace said.

"Should we knock?" Maria asked.

Michael and Mimi pounded on the door. There was silence for moments before the rock door began to slide apart, splitting in the middle. They peered inside to see a large cavern, this one covered by ice. They slowly stepped inside.

"Stop and identify yourself!"

The warriors leapt to Maria's side and started spinning their heads around the room. "Who's there?" Mimi shouted.

"We are the last Warriors of Genbu, the Guardians of the divine Shinzaho. Now, identify yourselves."

Maria cleared her throat and stepped forward. "I am Maria, Priestess of Baihumon, and these are my Seven Warriors."

"Baihumon? You mean Byakko?"

"That's right," Wallace said, "We're here for the Shinzaho."

"Then you must face us before you can claim it."

The cold mist in the cavern was suddenly pulled towards the far end of the room, forming into two human figures, one with an eye patch, and the other carrying arrows on his back.

The one with the eye patch spoke first. "My name is Hikitsu."

The one with the arrows nodded slightly. "And I am Tomite. If you want the Shinzaho, you'll have to defeat us first."

Michael nodded. "Fine. Warriors, get ready to…" He glanced over his shoulder to stare down the tunnel behind them. He glanced at the two warriors in the rear "Tatum, Wallace, go and keep the Qinglongmon Warriors busy."

"Are you sure?" Wallace asked.

"Yeah, go ahead."

They nodded and ran out of the cold cavern. The two ice warriors stared at the Baihumon Warriors. "Are you ready?"

"Not quite," Michael smiled. He nodded at his remaining warriors, who quickly changed into their armors, then evolved to their highest levels: Michael as SSJ Vegetta, Mimi as Sonya Blade, Sam into Escaflowne, and Steve into Ranma.

The two Genbu Warriors raised their eyebrows in surprise. "Impressive, but power's only as good as the one who can use it!"

Michael grinned. "Why don't you wait to find out? Maria, stay in the corner, the rest of you, let's go!"

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It was a full twenty minuets before the Qinglongmon Warriors were able to break the outer door down and enter the temple. They were all freezing, but still very much alive.

Taichi shook the snow off of his shoulders "All right, now where do we go?"

Yuri mentioned down the hall. "That way, come."

Daisuke hugged Hikari tightly to help warm her, while they ran after Yuri. They eventually entered a large ballroom-type room with a large pillar in the center. There were three other halls besides the one they had just come from, one on each wall. "All right," Yamato said, stepping forward, "Where now?"

"Wallace!" Daisuke shouted.

The Baihumon Warrior was standing at the entrance to the hall directly across from them. He had already evolved to perfect form of Dark Knight Cecil. He pointed his black sword at the pillar in the center of the room. He flinched, and a wave of dark energy flowed from his blade, striking the pillar. The giant marble column cracked near the base and fell forward. "Incoming!" Taichi shouted, leaping to the left along with Noriko, Sora, Anna and Yuri, while the other Qinglongmon Warriors were thrown to the right. The pillar smashed down between them, ripping out most of the ceiling, which surrounded the two groups of fighters.

Taichi shouted as he slammed his fist into the fallen pillar, which cut him off from the others. "Hikari! Yamato! Daisuke!"

Sora placed her hands near her face. "Oh, I hope they're okay."

"I'm sure they are," Taichi said, "But we've got to keep moving." He glanced at Noriko, Anna and Yuri. "Are you guys okay?"

"I'm okay, Taichi-san," Noriko said.

Anna and Yuri nodded. "Yes, we are fine."

Taichi glanced at the opposite wall. While the pillar and debris did completely separate the right side of the room, it appeared they could exit through the hallway on the opposite wall. "Come on, let's go."

They ran into the hall through the entrance and instantly heard a painful, yet familiar song. The melody flowed through their ears, causing the world around them to start to spin. They all fell to their knees, except for Noriko, who, while struggling to stand, continued to march forward.

"Noriko!" Sora shouted.

"That…song…_she's_ here. I stopped her before, I need to do it again!" She screamed the last word, which allowed her to fight past the pain and quickly evolve to her Adult form of Malon from _Legend of Zelda._ She took a deep breath and began to sing as loud as she could. Soon, her song became louder then the other. She could sense the sound waves were growing behind her. She spun around and saw Tatem, evolved to her perfect form of Adult Zelda, standing in the room they had just come from. She did not speak, only sing even louder. Sound waves began to pour from her mouth, forming into a beam of almost light. Noriko's own sound waves changed into a beam as well, and the two smashed into each other. The Qinglongmon Warrior could feel herself began to falter, but she continued to sing as loud as she should. Soon, she felt her body start to twitch and a new power flowed from within her. Her clothes changed and shifted. She had evolved into her perfect form of Adult Malon.

She grinned slightly and continued to sing as loud as she could.

On the other side of the pillar, more debris and bricks had fallen. Yamato had to push with all of his might to get the large piece of the ceiling off of his back, freeing him and the other members of the small group. "Is everyone…everyone okay?"

Ken chuckled, struggling to get to his feet, but could not manage it. "I'm getting really tired of always getting injured."

Daisuke had been shielding Hikari, so the back of his shirt was complete ripped apart, but despite that, he was none the worse for wear. He glanced at the others, then at the walls. The hall at the opposite end was cut off, but the hall on the perpendicular wall was accessible. "All right, we'd better go that way."

Yamato limped over and supported Ken as they began to walk towards the opening in the wall. However, they did not get far, as Wallace jumped down from nowhere and blocked their path.

"I can't let you pass," he said, "And for what you did to Lou, I am going to kill you all!"

"We didn't do anything!" Hikari protested, but Daisuke leapt in front of her. He gave her a gentle push with the back of his hand, which caused her to fall into Ken's arms. Yamato jumped to stand by Daisuke's side.

"Ready?" he asked.

Daisuke nodded. "Ready."

The two warriors quickly transformed into their armor, then evolved to their perfect forms of Glenn from _Chrono Cross_ and Ryo from _Samurai Troopers._ Wallace held out his sword and waited patiently as the two Qinglongmon Warriors charged forward.

Yamato poured his fire attack on Wallace, but he blocked it with the small shield attached to his wrist. Daisuke shot from the right, using his sword to slice the chest plate off. Yamato attacked with his fire attack again, blasting him from behind. Wallace, however, spun around and swung his sword, sending a wave of blackness that struck Yamato and threw him to the ground.

"Is that the best you've got?" he laughed.

Had be been paying attention, he would have noticed that Daisuke was charging towards him from behind, his sword ready to strike. He swung his sword into Wallace's back, which was protected by his armor. However, the force of Daisuke's attack was still enough to send the Baihumon Warrior crashing into the fallen pillar.

"Damn you!" he screamed. He jutted his sword at them and screamed, "Dark Wave!" Daisuke and Yamato braced themselves as Wallace's attack sent them flying backwards into the wall.

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Inside of the cold cavern, the Bahumon Warriors were holding their own against the two Warriors of Genbu. Mimi fired a small ball of light at the warrior with the hat. He held out his palm and fired a blast of cold air. Mimi's attack was frozen solid, but it gave Michael enough time to leap around behind him.

Michael fired a beam of purple light from his palms. "_Galic Gun Fire!"_

The hat warrior stood perfectly still as Michael's attack flew straight through him. Mimi had to actually jump out of the way before his attack destroyed a large portion of the floor. Both Baihumon Warrior could only gasp in horror.

"Surprised?" the Genbu Warrior laughed, "Well, let me fill you in, I'm dead."

"What?" Mimi shouted.

"That's right. Both Hikitsu and I have long since given up our lives to protect the Shinzaho. If you want your priestess to summon Byakko, then you'll need to prove your worth to us."

Meanwhile, Sam and Steve were struggling against the Genbu Warrior. While Sam was inside of the Escaflowne armor, Hikitsu seemed to have the ability to created giant creatures out of ice. The Genbu Warrior held his palms together and forced most of the ices in the cavern to merge together, taking the form of a massive suit of armor, much like his own. To make matters worse, it was like fighting a mirror reflection; every sword attack was perfectly blocked.

Steve tried to help by attacking the Genbu Warrior from behind. _"Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken."_ He began firing his fists as fast as he could, trying to smack the warrior from behind, but to his horror, his fists simply passed right through him.

"You cannot defeat us in that manner," he said, "We are no longer of the physical world."

"Then how are we supposed to beat you?" Steve shouted.

The Genbu Warrior just smirked and fired another blast of ice at him. He leapt out of the way with seconds to spare; the needle pierced through his pant leg. He fell to the ground, moaning in pain.

"Steve!" Maria shouted. She wanted to run over to him, but the screams of Mimi caught her attention. The pink-haired girl was on her knees, clutching her wrist. It appeared to be sprained, or at the least, twisted. The Priestess of Baihumon stared at her warriors, her friends, all fighting for her. They would soon be killed, she had to do something. She thought of Hikari, how she was able to use an internal power to save her friends before. Could she do the same? She needed to try.

She tried to force energy from inside of her, but nothing happened. She heard Sam scream out; his Escaflowne armor had been ripped apart by one of Hikitsu's ice monsters. Michael was the only one still standing, and if four warriors could not handle two, what could one possible do? He was going to die, they were all going to die unless she stopped this. She could feel her pain, her rage build up inside of her, threatening to explode…which it did.

She screamed; white light filling the ice cavern. Her warriors and the Genbu Warriors instantly stopped, staring at the young Priestess of Baihumon. She continued to scream, the white light growing in intensity, until it finally subsided. The two Genbu Warriors stared at her, then nodded at each other.

"You have passed the test," Tomite said, "You have proven your devotion to your warriors."

"Wait," Maria said, mentioning to her warriors, "It…wasn't about them?"

Hikitsu shook his head. "No. The tests are meant for the Priestess, she must prove herself worthy of possessing the Shinzahos, which you have."

Maria slowly walked over to where Sam was lying on the ground. She gently examined his wounds before moving onto Steve.

"Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," he said, struggling to his feet.

Maria smiled and mentioned to Michael, who was carrying Mimi in his arms. "How about you?"

"Nothing a good bath won't cure," Mimi smiled, "Plus, I really need to wash my hair, I must smell like a meat house."

Maria smiled, then turned her attention to the two Genbu Warriors. "Okay. Where's the Shinzaho?"

Tomite removed a strange necklace from beneath his shirt. "Here, this is the Shinzaho of Genbu."

Maria stepped forward to take it, but her pupils suddenly grew to large size and she collapsed to the ground.

"What's wrong?" Michael gasped.

"Tatem," she said, "Something's happened to Tatem!"

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Noriko kept screaming her song out as loud as she could, pouring her waves into a strong beam that continued to smash against Tatem's musical beam. Taichi and Sora were still on the ground, clutching their heads; Tatem's song was still causing them too much pain to help.

Neither Baihumon Warrior nor Qinglongmon Warrior could speak, but they would have had nothing to say, it was not time for insults, not time for witty banter; it was time to fight to the end.

Unbeknownst to them, however, the battle between Wallace, Ken and Daisuke were causing fierce tremors to shake through the entire temple complex. One of these tremors shook the hall where Noriko and Tatem were fighting, sending a large section of the floor that Tatem was standing on to rise slightly. The Baihumon Warrior's beam of sound waves was lifted as well, which caused her beam to shoot over Noriko's, and Noriko's beam to shoot beneath hers.

Noriko's sound beam rammed into Tatem's chest, causing her to skid along the brick floor until she smashed into a fallen pillar. A sick snapping sound was heard as her neck hit the brick pillar, but the Qinglongmon Warriors did not hear it as Noriko, who had been hit with Tatem's own sound waves, was thrown backwards. A sharp piece of debris was jutting upwards, and the Qinglongmon Warrior fell directly onto it, the debris shooting through her back and out her chest.

"Noriko!" Sora screamed.

"Noriko…" Taichi gasped, unable to even speak. The world seemed to be spinning so quickly, "Noriko…no…"

"Taichi!" Sora shouted, "We've got to stop the bleeding!"

He nodded helped the red-head lift the fallen Qinglongmon Warrior from her stake and placed her on the ground. Taichi ripped off part of his shirt and quickly wrapped it around her chest, but her wound was far too large.

She smiled weakly. "T…Taichi-san…"

"What?" he asked, "What?"

"I…I'm sorry I wasn't more help. I was weak, and just got in the way."

"What are you talking about?" Sora shouted.

"Yeah," Taichi said, "You were great! I mean, if it wasn't for you, we'd have never even gotten out of the Sleeping Valley!"

She smiled. "Please…you should go. I'm sure Hikari needs you…"

"They'll be fine," Taichi said.

Sora shot him a strange glance, she never thought _Taichi_ would say something like that. She did not challenge him, however, only glanced at Noriko. "Yeah, I think we'll stay…just a little while longer."

Noriko smiled, tears forming in her eyes. "I just wish…I could have been there…when she summoned Qinglongmon…please…tell Hikari…I'm sorry…" She smiled, "And…tell her…Takeru….won't be alone…"

She suddenly quaked in pain, before her eyes slowly closed; her body lying perfectly still. Sora burst out in tears while Taichi screamed in rage, slamming his fists into the brick walls. "Noriko!"

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"Watch out!" Hikari shouted.

Daisuke leapt into the air to avoid Wallace's sword. Yamato tried to attack from behind, but he suddenly shouted out in pain and fell to the ground. The others stared in shock when they saw Michael standing in the entrance to the hallway. He shot another energy blast from his hand that struck Daisuke, knocking him into Hikari.

"Michael?" Wallace gasped.

"We've got the Shinzaho," he said, "We're going to summon Baihumon on the roof."

"What about Tatem?" he asked, running towards him.

Michael only shook his head. "Maria said she's….we don't have time now, come on."

The two Baihumon Warriors exited. "They're going to summon Baihumon?" Daisuke gasped.

"We've got to stop them!" Hikari shouted, jumping to her feet, "Come on!"

They ran through the twisting and turning halls until they reached a set of large double doors. They smashed through them and had to stop from falling off the balcony that had arrived on. Below them were the remaining Baihumon Warriors, surrounding Maria in a circle. The four Shinzahos were lying in a diamond shape directly around her.

"Everyone," Steve shouted, "You've got to focus your energy, quickly!"

Maria began to chant. "Lords of the Stars, Gods of the Digital World, I call to you. Descend from the heavens and grant me my wishes. Appear to me as I call your name, Baihumon!"

The four Shinzahos began to glow brightly, shooting beams of white, red, blue and black into the young girl. The remaining Baihumon Warriors began to glow a bright white and their energy was soon merged with their Priestess. Maria glanced towards the ceiling and the combined energy exploded into the ceiling, filling the room with light.

"No!" Hikari gasped, "This can't be! We…we lost?"

Ken stared down at his hands. "No! I'm going to stop this!" He quickly transformed into his armor, then evolved into Yugi. He normally could only stop there, but something was augmenting his own strength, he felt the power he needed. He continued to evolve, changing into a perfect image of Yami Yugi.

"Ken?" Daisuke asked.

His fellow Qinglongmon Warrior smiled. "I've finally evolved, and now I can use these!" He reached into the card pack on his waist, pulling out three special cards.

"God Cards?" Yamato asked.

Ken pulled out a special card and threw it down on his arm-based Duel Disk. "I now summon Sky Dragon of Osiris!" The card exploded in red light as the massive dragon exploded into room. It roared with power before firing a large electrical ball at the glowing white light. To their horror, the Sky Dragon's attack dissipated into nothingness.

\ "No…" Hikari said, shaking her head, "I've failed…I've failed!"

_""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""_

Maria was about to summon Baihumon, and I could only stare in horror. I tried, I really did, but what hope was there now? She fulfilled her obligations, and I only let everyone down.

And Noriko…she was gone, another friend dead, all because of me! I couldn't do this anymore, but I couldn't give up, it would have meant that Takeru and Noriko…I couldn't give up, I had to carry on, I had to.


	15. Chapter XIV: Three Wishes

I failed! Maria had all the pieces she needed to summon her Beast God.! I…I couldn't do it…And now…now Baihumon's coming, and none of us can stop it.

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The Chosen Warriors

_Chapter XIV:_

_Three Wishes_

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Screams. That was all that could be heard, screams. Everywhere in the Digital World, digimon were screaming. The planet was once again under attack. This time, however, it was not an evil digimon intent on ruling the digital plane, it was a human fueled by revenge, with the mission of destroying every creature in that world.

One such village was the Koromon village near the shoreline of the Server continent. Hundreds of humans, both male and female, children and adults, all armed with advanced technology and wearing mechanical armor, brutally assaulted and murdered all villagers that once lived there. Each one of these humans were wearing Black Rings on their arms.

Lord Sentry marched through the destruction with an triumphant smile on his face. Recorder was trailing close behind him. "This is going even better then I had hoped," Sentry grinned, "All of the Sleepers have Awaken, the Black Rings have been activated. I now have an army large enough to completely annihilate every freak of nature on this pathetic excuse for a planet!"

"Yes sir," Recorder said.

He gave a final look around the village. "I think this experiment has proven successful. Recall all the Hunters, those Chosen Children will finally be exterminated."

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Maria began to chant. "Lords of the Stars, Gods of the Digital World, I call to you. Descend from the heavens and grant me my wishes. Appear to me as I call your name, Baihumon!"

The four Shinzahos began to glow brightly, shooting beams of white, red, blue and black into the young girl. The remaining Baihumon Warriors began to glow a bright white and their energy was soon merged with their Priestess. Maria glanced towards the sky and the combined energy exploded into the ceiling, filling the roof with light.

"No!" Hikari gasped, "This can't be! We…we lost?"

Ken stared down at his hands. "No! I'm going to stop this!" He quickly transformed into his armor, then evolved into Yugi. He normally could only stop there, but something was augmenting his own strength, he felt the power he needed. He continued to evolve, changing into a perfect image of Yami Yugi.

"Ken?" Daisuke asked.

His fellow Qinglongmon Warrior smiled. "I've finally evolved, and now I can use these!" He reached into the card pack on his waist, pulling out three special cards.

"God Cards?" Yamato asked.

Ken pulled out a special card and threw it down on his arm-based Duel Disk. "I now summon Sky Dragon of Osiris!" The card exploded in red light as the massive dragon exploded into room. It roared with power before firing a large electrical ball at the glowing white light. To their horror, the Sky Dragon's attack dissipated into nothingness.

"No…" Hikari said, shaking her head, "I've failed…I've failed!"

Daisuke was about to console her, but a sudden blast of wind caught his attention. The sky was covered with a strange white glow. The light seemed alive, twisting and pulling, merging and binding until a bright bolt shot into the ground before the Baihumon Priestess. The light quickly began to pull together, forming a massive shape with legs, multiple eyes and a massive jaw. The creature roared, which shook the entire temple.

"Holy crap!" Daisuke shouted, "Is that…?"

"That's Baihumon," Ken said. He glanced down at the cards in his hands, "And there's nothing I can do!"

The small group of Qinglongmon Warriors spun around when they heard Taichi and Sora run towards them. "Taichi!" Hikari smiled, "But…where's Noriko?"

Her older brother could only look away.

Down below, Maria was easily intimidated by the massive creature standing before her, but she stood her ground. The glowing beast stared at her and seemed to smile. "Maria, you have succeeded, I have been summoned."

She nodded. "Y..yes."

"Miria, I must now merge with you."

"W..what?"

"Do not fear, it is the only way for you to use my powers. I will merge with you, and you will be able to use my holy powers three times, all you must do is call my name, do you understand?"

She nodded. "Y...yes."

"Good." His body suddenly turned to white once again and flowed into the Maria. The Priestess shouted out and then collapsed to the ground.

"Maria!" Mimi shouted. Michael darted towards his Priestess and gently lifted into her into his arms. As he did, he noticed Hikari and her Warriors. "We're leaving, now!" He turned to Wallace. "Cover us."

The other Baihumon Warrior held out his sword. "You got it." He pointed the sword at the Qinglongmon Warriors. "Dark Wave!"

"Incoming!" Daisuke shouted. They dove to the floor as the energy attack smashed over their heads. By the time they looked back, the Baihumon Warriors were gone.

"It's over," Hikari sighed, falling onto her knees, "I…I failed."

"It's not over yet," Taichi said, "We'll find a way to summon Qinglongmon."

His sister shook her head. "No…there's no way to…to…" Her pupils suddenly dilated and she completely collapsed to the ground.

"Hikari!" her remaining warriors called out. Sora and Yamato helped her back to her feet.

"What's wrong?" Daisuke asked.

"D…death…" she cried, "P..pain…Oh god, Daisuke, I…can hear them! They're all calling out to me! They're all dying!"

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The Baihumon Warriors did not make it far down the snow-covered mountain before they were able to see the fire raging in the distance. They stopped to stare at the destruction, which they could see in the villages in the valley below the mountain.

"What the hell?" Michael gasped.

"A fire?" Mimi suggested.

Steve shook his head. "It's too cold, and even if a fire did start, it wouldn't have spread this quickly, all of the wood is covered with ice!"

Maria suddenly shouted out and collapsed. Wallace hoisted her back to her feet. "Maria, what is it?"

"T..they're all dying!" she exclaimed, "I can hear them all!"

"Dying?" Mimi gasped.

Maria nodded. "All the digimon…gone…simply…gone…" She turned to Michael, "And they're coming after us!"

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The Qinglongmon Warriors had left the Temple of Xuwanamon and made their way back to the village, which was almost completely covered by raging fire, when they were approached by Anna and Yuri, along with a dozen digimon. "Anna!" Sora shouted, "What's going on?"

"The village," she said, "The Digital Hunters are attacking!"

Nothing else was said. The Qinglongmon Warriors ran passed the two Russian Chosen and ran to the burning village, where they were even more shocked at what they discovered: Digital Hunters of all shapes and sizes, all wearing Black Rings.

"They're being controlled!" Ken gasped.

"So how do we stop them?" Daisuke asked.

They heard a familiar arrogant laugh. "Simply put, you don't."

"Nimrod," Yamato growled, slowly turning around. The manically Digital Hunter was standing in the midst of the carnage with an amused expression on his face.

"Good to see you again," he laughed, "and I see you're missing a few members…"

Yamato swore at him, clenching his fist. "If it wasn't for you, Takeru would still be alive!"

"Not to mention Noriko!" Taichi shouted, "You'll all gonna pay for what you did to her!"

He laughed. "Don't take this the wrong way, I mean, I'm more then ready to kill all of you, but I've got my orders not to touch any of you just yet, so we'll have to play later."

"Really/" Daisuke asked, "And what makes you think you can get away?"

Nimrod reached around his belt and pulled out a large dagger. He threw it as hard as he could and it struck the wooden beam supporting a balcony over Hikari's head. The beam shattered and the balcony quickly collapsed.

"Hikari!" her warriors called out. Daisuke quickly leapt beneath the flames and brought her to safety. However, Nimrod's diversion had worked; he had disappeared, along with the rest of the Black Ring fighters.

"Damn it!" Taichi shouted, "Damn it! Damn it! We're always one step behind! What are we going to do now?"

"Taichi," Sora said, "you'd better turn around and see this."

The Qinglongmon leader turned and saw the source of Sora's surprise, the Baihumon Warriors were standing a few feet away. Taichi sighed in annoyance. "We've got to do this again? Jeeze! You beat, all right? Happy! There, you won. Now get the hell out of here, we're got bigger problems right now!"

"Actually," Michael said, "That's why we're here." He sighed, "I guess by now you've realized what the Digital Hunters are doing."

"Yeah, so?"

"We can't beat them alone, and if we don't do something, all of the digimon are going to die."

"So?"

"We need to work together," Maria spoke out.

"What?" Hikari asked.

Maria nodded. "Something terrible is happening, you can feel it too, can't you?"

Hikari nodded. "Yes."

"Please," the Baihumon Priestess said, "Together…?"

Hikari smiled and nodded. "Together."

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Lord Sentry grinned with anticipation as he stood atop the mountain cliff. He brought a telescope to his biological eye and was able to see a large mountain in the distance, jutting up out of a large island. "File Island," he said, "It was there that the Chosen Children first received their digimon, there those mistakes in reality became real! And that is where I will destroy this world!"

He threw back his cape and turned to his assembled, Black-ring-wearing soldiers standing at attention in the beach below them. He raised his fist into the air. "Today, we finish what we started weeks ago! Today, we destroy the Chosen Children!"

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Michael and Taichi continued to glare at one another as Hikari and Maria sat down to address one another. "The Digital Hunters are coming after us," Maria said, "You know this, you can feel it too."

Hikari nodded. "Yes, I can."

"It would probably be a good idea if you left the Digital World altogether," Ken advised.

"What?" Hikari asked, "There's no way I'm leaving!"

""Hikari," Taichi said, "He's right, you need to leave."

She stared at him. "Taichi?" She could tell by his face that he could not be convinced otherwise. She sighed. "Well, how are we supposed to leave?"

Michael mentioned to his Priestess. "Maria's how."

The Hispanic girl glanced at the blond. "What?"

"Use one of your wishes."

"That's not a bad idea," Ken said.

"I don't want to leave!" Hikari protested again.

"You've got to!" Daisuke shouted, "Listen, the Hunters are coming after you! They've done it before! Think about it, you're the hope of the Digital World! As long as you're alive, they'll never win. Please, Hikari."

"Um, I hate to say this," Steve said, "But who's to say they won't follow you back to Earth?"

"Someone'll have to go with them," Taichi suggested. He stared at his sister, only to see Daisuke standing directly behind her. "I guess Daisuke."

"What?" he gasped, "I want to stay here!"

"I know that," he said, "But someone needs to protect my sister…" He sighed, "…and I know you're not gonna leave her side."

Daisuke opened his mouth to protest, but just nodded. "Yeah, all right."

Michael mentioned to Wallace. "You go too, to protect Maria."

He nodded. "All right."

"Um," Mimi spoke up, "Maybe I'm missing the obvious here, but why doesn't Maria just use her wishes to stop the Hunters?"

The Priestess of Baihumon stared at her warrior. "You mean…kill them?"

"No," she said.

"Then how do we stop them?" Sora asked, "It's not like we can just imprison them. If they have government support, I'm sure someone'll come after us."

"All right, so how about we start by removing the Black Rings on their slaves?" Yamato asked.

"Would he actually be able to do that?" Hikari asked, glancing at Ken.

He shrugged. "I don't know. I guess you could just ask."

"When you're on Earth," Taichi stressed.

She nodded and glanced at her counterpart. "Well, I'm ready when you are."

The Priestess of Baihumon glanced to her warrior. "Michael?"

"Go, you'll be safe."

She nodded. She placed her hands together and closed her eyes in pray. "Lord Baihumon, I want to make my first wish; bring Hikari, Daisuke, Wallace and myself to Earth."

Her body suddenly began to glow a bright white. The other three people included in the wish began to glow brightly as well before they faded from sight.

"All right," Taichi said, "We've got to find out where those Hunters are going next."

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Hikari glanced around at the city stretching before her. "Where are we?"

"New York City," Wallace said. "We should be okay here."

Daisuke then noticed they had arrived on a roof top. "So, how do we get down?"

"And where are we going to stay?" Hikari asked.

"This is 3rd and Fifth, right?" Maria asked.

Wallace nodded. "Yeah, our 'home' shouldn't be too far."

"Home?" Hikari asked.

"Yeah, the place we were forced into after the "Solution to the Chosen Children Problem."

"Oh."

"Hold up," Daisuke said, "Why don't you try asking Baihumon about that wish?"

"Now?" Maria asked.

"Why wait? If the Digital World's in danger…"

Maria glanced to Wallace, who nodded. "Go for it."

The Priestess of Baihumon placed her hands together in pray once again. "Lord Baihumon, please appear before me, I have a question I wish to ask you."

The sky suddenly became dark and a transparent image of a tiger appeared on the roof. "Lord Baihumon," she smiled.

"Yes, what is it you wish of me?"

"Tell me, Lord Baihumon, the Digital Hunters that are attacking the Digital World, can I use my second wish to remove all the Black Rings from their unwilling pawns?"

He hesitated, then sighed. "That wish cannot be granted because I am a god of the Digital World, thus any wish must conform to those rules."

"What?" Daisuke asked.

"The Black Rings were created of programs able to override any existing programs, if I granted that wish, I would be at risk of becoming corrupted as well."

"What about destroying the Digital Hunters?" Wallace suggested, "I mean, Lord Sentry, Orion, Nimrod...you know, those guys."

The tiger god shook his head. "I am afraid that I cannot grant that wish either, a powerful electromagnetic field protects them, and I would run the risk of being destroyed."

"So there's nothing we can do," Maria.

"We're just gonna have to trust Taichi and the others," Hikari smiled reassuringly.

Maria nodded as Baihumon slowly vanished. Wallace smiled slightly. "Now you just need to make your second wish."

Hikari darted her head around. "What's wrong?" Daisuke asked.

"Nothing," she said, "I just felt like someone was watching us. Maria, we should get to your 'home' soon."

She nodded. "Right, please follow me."

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Recorder pressed a few buttons on her laptop before turning to Lord Sentry. "Sir! I'm receiving a transmission from our Earth base."

Lord Sentry turned away from his army. "Yes?"

"Our satellites have registered two powerful energy signals that suddenly appeared on Earth. We believe that it is Priestesses of Qinglongmon and Baihumon."

"So, they're on Earth now. Send Nimrod after them, wipe them out, while I take care of this pathetic excuse for a planet."

"Yes sir."

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Maria slid through the ground-level window. Once she was inside, Wallace securely slid it back, making sure to cover it. The Priestess of Baihumon mentioned to the small room and smiled slightly. "Welcome, please, make yourself at home."

"This is where you live?" Hikari gasped.

"It's not much," Wallace said, sitting down in one of the arm chairs, "but it's all we got."

"It's horrible!" the brown-haired girl exclaimed, "W..why are you living like this?"

Maria sighed deeply. "It's because of the "Solution to the Chosen Children Problem.' All of our friends and family are gone…" She trailed off.

Hikari glanced at Daisuke. At least she still had Daisuke and her brother, what would she do without them?

The Priestess of Baihumon walked over to the small refrigerator. "At least our food's still here. Do you want anything? We have some frozen pizza…well, that's about it."

"Uh, maybe I'll man the perimeter," Daisuke said.

"Are you sure?" Hikari asked.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," he smiled. He climbed back through the window.

The Priestess of Qinglongmon sighed deeply. "Are you okay?" Maria asked.

"Y..yeah," she lied, "I'm fine."

The Baihumon Priestess only laughed slightly. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that Wallace was sleeping peacefully. "I'm sorry, but I don't believe you."

Hikari sighed. "Y..yeah, you're right. I'm worried about him, I love him so much, but I don't want to lose him, like I lost Takeru and Noriko."

"Daisuke's strong," she said, "He'll be able to handle anything."

The other girl just nodded. There was an uncomfortable silence before Hikari took a deep breath. There was something she wanted to ask Maria, but was nervous too. Now seemed as good a time as any.

"Um, Maria, about your wish…"

"What wish?" she asked.

"The wish you have to seal off the Digital World."

"W..what about it?"

"I…I don't think it's such a good idea."

"Hikari," she said, "Look what happened when the Digital World was open, Earth was invaded, and the Digital World was attacked in retaliation. Both worlds would be better if they were separate."

"But Maria, don't you think the Digital World deserves to choose that for itself?"

Before Maria could answer, the window was suddenly blown apart. Maria and Hikari dove for cover, while Wallace, jarred awake, was standing at attention. All three could see their attacker, Nimrod.

The Digital Hunter grinned wickedly. "Well, look what I've have here."

Daisuke had just circled the block twice before he decided to return to the New York team's home. When he arrived, he was shocked to see Hikari and Maria running for cover as the building they had escape suddenly exploded in a hailstorm of bricks and debris.

"Daisuke!" Hikari shouted, running towards him through the fleeing crowd.

"What happened?" he gasped.

"It's…it's Nimrod!" Maria gasped, "He…he and W..Wallace…"

Daisuke frowned. "The two of you, get to safety."

"What about you?" Hikari gasped.

"I'm going to stop him once and for all." He started running away from them.

"Daisuke!" she shouted.

"Go and hide!"

The Qinglongmon Warrior quickly changed to his armor before evolving to his highest level, Glenn from _Chrono Cross._ He rounded the corner and stopped short, seconds before Wallace smashed into the sidewalk before him.

"Are you okay?"

Wallace struggled to his feet. He had already evolved to his highest level, Dark Knight Cecil from _Final Fantasy IV._ "Y..yeah," he panted, "N..Nimrod's just gotten too…too strong."

The Digital Hunter laughed with glee. "You have no idea, now, give me the Priestesses, and I might let you live, if you refuse, I'll just kill you, and then get them anyway. What do you say?"

Daisuke stepped forward. "I think I speak for both of us when I say, no way."

Nimrod chuckled and shrugged. "Well, I guess it was worth a try." He suddenly shot forward with his arms outstretched, smacking both of the warriors in the neck and throwing them onto their backs.

Both warriors were on their feet in a second. Daisukeswung his sword at their enemy, but the Digital Hunter blocked with his armor-clad forearm. This was only a distraction, to allow Wallace a chance to attack from the other side. Nimrod knew he was coming, and, without turning his attention from Daisuke, kicked Wallace as hard as he could. The Baihumon Warrior did not relent, and continued with his attack. His sword sliced off a piece of Nimrod's shoulder armor.

The Digital Hunter stared at his missing armor. "You…you cut my armor! You cut my armor!" He dove at Wallace and tackled him to the ground. Daisuke took the opportunity to attack the Hunter from behind. He was able to slice off the remainder of Nimrod's armor.

He roared in anger. "I'm going to rip your heads off your bodies!"

"Bring it on!" Daisuke shouted, "I am so sick of you!" He launched forward, swinging his sword in a mad fashion. Nimrod leapt to the side, swinging his foot around and smacked him in the back of the head. Wallace pointed his sword at Nimrod's back and used Cecil's Dark Wave attack. Without his armor, Nimrod was easily vulnerable. The force of the attack sent him crashing into the brick building. Since the building was already damaged, it easily fell, crushing Nimrod.

"Jeeze," Wallace panted, limping over to inspect the debris, "I'm glad we've seen the last of that guy."

Daisuke grinned, slowly rising to his feet, "Y..yeah…"

Wallace turned his back on the pile, and began to walk towards Daisuke. Suddenly, the pile of bricks exploded as Nimrod freed himself. His gauntlet suddenly changed into a wrist-based blade, which he quickly shoved through Wallace's back.

"Wallace!" Daisuke shouted.

The Hunter easily flung the limp body off of his now bloodied blade. "Well, that was fun, are you going to give me a better challenge?"

Daisuke was shaking with rage. "You…you…killed him…and…and it was just a g...game to you!" His body suddenly began to glow once more. He appeared to still be wearing his armor. His body cracked and exploded, revealing Daisuke wearing a blue shirt and dark yellow pants. He had a white bandana in his hair and was carrying a long katana sword. He grinned. "I evolved again! I'm Chrono, from _Chrono Trigger."_

"More transformations?" Nimrod gasped, "Why don't you nerds stop playing video games and actually fight!"

Daisuke clenched his fists so tightly they began to shake. "I am…sick and tired of you!" He jumped into the air and screamed, "Luminaire!"

The Digital Hunter laughed and crossed his arms confidently. "Ha! And more pathetic light shows, well, bring it on!"

Daisuke's body suddenly exploded with light, quickly expanding into a dome shape. Nimrod realized too late that his confidence was greatly misplaced. He attempted to run, but Daisuke's attack quickly enveloped him. The Digital Hunter was instantly vaporized.

After the 'light show' had faded, the Qinglongmon Warrior was panting heavily. He fell to his knees, and despite his attempts to get back onto his feet, he completely crashed into the ground. He de-evolved back to his normal state. He heard Hikari call out to him seconds before he passed out.

The Priestess of Qinglongmon collapsed beside him and feverously shook him. "Daisuke! Daisuke!" She placed a hand on his back and breathed with extreme relief; she could feel him breathing. The brown-haired girl turned towards her counterpart and saw the young girl crying beside her fallen warrior.

"Wallace!" Maria sobbed, "W..wallace!"

Hikari knew that Daisuke needed to be moved somewhere safe, and that the Digital Hunters would no doubt be coming soon, but Maria needed help right now. She slowly walked over to her and placed her hands on her shoulders. The Priestess of Baihumon spun around and embraced the Priestess of Qinglongmon.

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Nimrod, one of the worst enemies we ever had to face, was finally gone, but the price was Wallace. I could certainly sympathize with Maria, I had lost my parents, Tailmon, Takeru and Noriko.

I didn't have any idea that my greatest lost would soon be coming.


	16. Chapter XV: The Fall of Courage

Author's note: If you want to see this chapter as it was meant to be, check out my author page on mediaminer.

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The Chosen Warriors

_Chapter XV:_

_The Fall of Courage_

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"Are you sure this is going to work?" Sora asked, struggling to keep her balance on the rocky mountain cliff.

"Hopefully" Michael said, "I mean, it's about the only plan we've got right now." He mentioned to the army of digimon assembled in the field below them. "Those Digital Hunters are coming, and these are all the forces we've got to defend File Island. With us here, and Yagami, Ishida and Sam waiting further back with more digimon…well, let's just say I'd rather keep the Hunters here."

A quick burst of wind ripped through the mountain range, which was over looking the beach and oceans. Sora quickly adjusted her balance to keep from falling.

"It's just so windy up here!" she said, pulling on the bottom of her Sailor Moon skirt, "I feel like my skirts about to fly up!"

Mimi chuckled. "That's why I'm glad I'm wearing pants."

Sora smiled back. The two girls stared at each other, then quickly turned away. Neither once could forget the hurtful things that had been said. An uncomfortable silence filled the air until Sora finally turned back around. "Mimi, listen…"

"Heads up!" Ken shouted, staring through his binoculars, "Here they come!"

"All right!" Michael shouted to the digimon below, "Assemble and form ranks! Remember, they're under control of the Black Rings, aim for them!"

Across the ocean, they could make out a large blackness that was fast approaching the island. In only a few seconds, they were able to make out the figures of the Digital Hunters.

"There's Orion," Ken said, "But where's Lord Sentry?"

"Can't worry about that now," Michael said, "We've got to attack!"

The four warriors jumped into the fray and joined the digimon. Every soldier aimed for the Black Rings wrapped tightly around the enemy's forearms. Mimi, evolved to Sonya Blade, was using a variety of kicks and punches, Sora, as Sailor Moon, used her scepter as a weapon, deflecting energy beams and projectiles, Ken, evolved to Yami Yugi, used his Black Magician cards, while Michael, evolved to SSJ Vegeta, used his fists and energy attack; all for the purpose of destroying the Black Rings.

Michael ducked to avoid a jab from a Black Ring controlled human. He managed to grab the arm and forcefully removed the arm. The armor-wearing human shock for a moment, then collapsed to the ground in shock. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, and was about to engage another Black Ring-controlled Digital Hunter, but he heard a voice call to him through the chaos.

"Quite impressive."

Michael spun around and saw the Digital Hunter Orion staring at him. Michael did not respond, only continued to stare at his enemy. The Digital Hunter must have send a command through the Black Rings, as the controlled soldiers directed the battle away from them, giving them a perfect battlefield.

"This is wrong you know," Michael finally said.

"And how do you know so much about morality?" he asked, "How are your choices any different then mine?"

"You're destroying innocent lives!" he shouted.

"And what do you call what happened to all those innocent lives during the Christmas Invasion?"

"We had nothing to do with that!"

Orion just shrugged. "Are we going to fight, or what?"

Michael shot forward and slammed his fist into Orion's nose. The Digital Hunter stumbled back and wiped his jaw. "Very good, I felt that one. You have grown in power…'evolved,' correct?"

"That's right," Michael said, "And now I've got more then enough power to take you down!" He shot forward with his fists extended, flying towards Orion. He waited until he was close enough to his enemy before swinging his left fist at the Hunter's head. Orion grabbed it with his left palm and attempted to twist Michael around, but he resisted and was able to use his right fist to smash the Hunter in the face. However, when Michael pulled his hand back, Orion grabbed it with his free hand. Now, both of the Baihumon Warrior's hands were trapped.

The Hunter smirked. Michael returned the arrogant smile and smashed his head into Orion's face, then forcefully kicked him in the chest. His powerful kick was able to crack the Hunter's armor and force him to release his hands. Michael shot back and hovered in the air.

Orion charged forward and quickly grabbed Michaels two legs, swung him around and slammed both of his fists into the Baihumon Warrior's back, causing him to scream out in pain. The Hunter continued his onslaught by swinging the Warrior into the air, intending to smash him into the ground, but Michael quickly grabbed Orion's ankles and pulled with all his might, Orion fell onto his back with a loud crash.

Michael flew into the air and began to gather energy into his hands and released it into a purple beam. "_Galic Gun Fire!"_

Orion crossed his arms in front of his face as the energy beam smashed into him, sending him flying backwards into a large canyon. Michael shot after him.

Sora and Ken, meanwhile, were having their own problems with the Digital Hunter Army. The redheaded warrior smashed her scepter into a Black Ring on a soldiers arm, freeing him. She was too busy to notice the soldier running up behind her. She would have been severally injured if Ken's Black Magician did not remove the Black Ring in the same manner.

"Thanks," Sora said, wiping her forehead. She panted heavily, "There's just too many of them!"

"I know," Ken said, "And they wouldn't even have this technology if it wasn't for me."

Sora took a deep breath. "I just wish there was some way we could attack all of them at once!"

He glanced at his cards. "All at once?"

Sora stared at him. "Ken?"

He removed one of the cards from his deck and held it so Sora could see. "Winged-God Dragon of Ra?" she asked.

Ken nodded. "One of Ra's abilities is to change into its God Phoenix mode, and once in that mood, it can instantly destroy any monster on the opponent's side of the field, but there's a price you have to pay, give up a thousand life points."

"K…Ken, this isn't a game!"

"I know that," he said, "There's really no way to tell the equivalent of losing a thousand life points in the game as apposed to real life. A thousand life points could just be feeling a little tired…to completely killing me."

"Well then don't do it!" she shouted.

He sighed again. "Do you remember when we were in the Temple of Zhuqioamon? When we saw those two warriors, that even after death, were still so loyal to their Priestess?"

"Ken?" Sora asked.

The other Qinglgonmon Warrior dropped the card onto his duel disk. Energy suddenly exploded from the card and a massive yellow dragon appeared overhead. The Qinglongmon Warrior took a deep breath and shouted, "I evoke the power of Ra's God Phoenix!"

The dragon was soon covered by fire, changing into an impressive phoenix which towered over the battlefield.

"Ken, don't do this!" Sora shouted.

The young man ignored her and addressed the hovering firebird. "Winged-God Dragon of Ra," he shouted, "Use your power and destroy all Black Rings! Do it now!"

He suddenly began to spasm and shake as energy flowed from his body and merged with Ra. The firebird roared and sent hundreds of streams of fire into the Digital Hunter army, striking the multitude of Black Rings, instantly vaporizing them. Each and every trapped human was freed.

The Winged-God Dragon of Ra slowly faded into nothingness as Sora stared at the army below them. "Ken…Ken! I…I think you did it! Ken…" When she did not receive an answer, she turned to her fellow warrior, only to find him collapsed on the ground, barely breathing.

"Ken!" she screamed, charging towards him, "Ken, talk to me!"

"I did it," he said weakly, "G…good…m…maybe the D..digital World can finally have peace…" His eyes slowly closed.

"Ken!" Sora shouted, shagging him, "Ken…Ken!"

Michael and Orion, meanwhile, continued their epic battle. The Digital Hunter leapt into the air and slammed his fists into the top of Michael's head, but the Baihumon Warrior spun out of the way, and kicked with all of his might into Orion's back. The Hunter was flung into the bottom of the canyon with tremendous force, sending a cloud of dust into the air. Michael was panting heavily as he hovered in the air. He was surprised to see the Hunter back on his feet in seconds.

"Very impressive," he said, noticeably fatigued, "But, unless you can do anything more than that…I'm afraid there's no hope that you can win."

Michael stared at him; there was still one attack he could try, but he never executed it before, but he had no choice. He extended both of his hands towards Orion and began to charge up his energy. The Hunter smiled and continued to watch as Michael gathered more and more energy, completely powering up. He stared directly at Orion and shouted, "_Final Flash!"_

A massive blast of energy shot from his open palms. Orion suddenly realized the amount of energy contained within the attack. He braced himself in an attempt to survive, but it was no use, Michael's attack completely enveloped him, sending him smashing deep into the rock wall of the canyon. Michael waited until he was certain that the Digital Hunter did not survive, before he started to descend to the ground. Suddenly, he felt all his energy give out and he returned to his normal form. Without any form of power, he simply fell, smashing into the bottom of the canyon.

"Michael!" Mimi shouted. She had been watching from the ridge of the canyon, and now, seeing him lying on the ground, bloodied and bruised, broken bones and unmoving muscles. She ran as fast as she could until she was kneeling by his side. "Michael!"

He slowly opened his eyes and stared at her, a smile crossing his mouth. "M..Mimi…"

"Can you walk?"

"I…I think my back's broken."

Suddenly, the walls of the small canyon began to shake as debris started to fall. Michael coughed. "M…must have caused a l...landslide. Y…you have to leave…"

She shook her head, tears falling down her face. "I'm not leaving you, please…"

"Mimi!"

She turned to the canyon ridge and saw Sora shouting to her. "Mimi, the canyon's caving in! You've got to get out of there!"

"I'm not leaving Michael!" she screamed back.

"Mimi!"

"Would you leave Yamato!"

Sora hesitated. She nodded. "A…all right." She turned to leave.

"Sora!"

She turned back around. The Baihumon Warrior was still crying, but was now smiling. "I'm sorry."

The redhead nodded. "Me too."

"Best friends?"

Sora sniffled, now crying as well. "Forever." She turned and ran off. Mimi turned back to Michael, as the canyon walls continued to crack and fall.

"This is it, huh?" Michael asked, "I…I just can't help but wonder, was it my blood lust that brought us to this?"

"It had nothing to do with you," Mimi said, "We all acted the same."

"I just wish I could make it up somehow."

Mimi smiled and fought back the tears. She lay over him as the canyon walls finally collapsed, burying them forever.

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Almost five miles behind the first 'front,' Taichi, Yamato and Sam, already evolved to SSJ Goku, Ryo of Wildfire and Van from _Escaflowne_, were waiting at the base of a similar mountain, while a forest stretched before them. Yamato sighed. "This sure is taking a long time."

Sam gave him an odd glance. "You actually want them to get here?"

"At least then I'd know what the heck is going on up there! I don't have any idea if Sora's even still alive!"

"I'm sure she's fine," Taichi said, "You know her."

"I just wish I had a D-terminal. Sora has hers."

"But if she's in the middle of a battle, she probably can't use it, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

Sam sighed. "Um, exactly what good are the three of us going to do anyway? I mean, if that Digital Hunter Army makes it through the first front…"

Taichi mentioned to the mountain ridge, where a large, but smaller then the first front, collection of assorted digimon were waiting for their chance to defend their home. Down below, Yamato sighed again. "I'm going to check things out a little further up."

"Stay here," Taichi said.

The other Qinglongmon Warrior was already walking towards the forest. "Don't worry, I'll be right back."

Taichi sighed in annoyance. "Has he always been like that?" Sam asked.

"Yes, unfortunately."

Suddenly and without warning, a beam of red light shot from the depths of the forest and struck Sam directly in the head. His body twitched violently and he collapsed to the ground.

"Sam!" Taichi shouted. He turned back to the forest. He tried to see through the clustering of trees, but to no avail. He mentioned to the digimon collection waiting on the ridge. "Stand at attention!" he shouted, "And be ready to attack on my word."

"If you do, then your friend here will die."

He instantly recognized that voice and turned back towards the forest. Lord Sentry was slowly exiting the forest, with Yamato's neck tightly in his mechanical hand. Taichi hesitated. "What are you doing here?"

Lord Sentry laughed. "What do you think? I'm finally going to complete my mission, and destroy all digital life-forms! And since your fellow warrior Ichijoji destroyed my army, I guess I'll have to do it myself."

Taichi clenched his fists. "Well, you're not getting passed us!" He turned to his small digimon army ready, "Get ready…"

Lord Sentry used his wrist-based laser to fire a series of shots near the mountain top where the army was standing. His attacks did not hit the army, but did strike the mountain, sending a monstrous amount of debris and dirt into the air, forcing the army to scatter. It also sent more debris and dirt falling to the ground. Lord Sentry lost sight of Taichi in the smoke.

"Yagami?" he shouted. He received a response when the Qinglongmon Warrior shot from within the smoke and slammed his fist into Lord Sentry's face. He released Yamato as Taichi's impact sent them both deeper into the forest.

Sentry clasped his face. "Y…you actually hurt me!"

Taichi grinned. "That's right, and you know what, I think it's time we finally go at it! Every since that day you killed my parents, Tailmon and Agumon right in front of my eyes, I've been wanting to rip out your heart…Then again, you probably don't even have one any more."

Lord Sentry smirked confidently. "Then let us see what you can do." He suddenly shot forward with inhuman speed and slammed his fist into Taichi's stomach. The Qinglongmon Warrior felt pain like nothing he had ever felt before. Lord Sentry grabbed Taichi's arms and smashed him through several trees at once before flinging him directly into the ground. He jumped into the air and was about to execute a pile-driver attack, but Taichi rolled out of the way. He shoved his foot into Lord Sentry's stomach. If the Digital Hunter was injured, he did not show it. He used his own foot to kick Taichi in the face, and then his other foot kicked him the stomach. The Qinglongmon Warrior managed to get back into the air. There, he hoped to have a better chance.

He placed both of his palms together in a familiar move, then thrust them forward. "Kamehameha!"

Lord Sentry only smirked and easily batted the energy wave to the side, where it smashed through even more trees.

"Damn it," Taichi swore.

The Digital Hunter fired his wrist-based laser at the Qinglongmon Warrior once again. Taichi dove out of the way and shot around for a sneak attack, but Lord Sentry spun around, smacking Taichi with the back of his hand. Taichi fell to the ground, but grabbed Sentry' ankle and pulled as hard as he could. The Digital Hunter fell to the ground. The Qinglongmon Warrior and brought his elbow into Sentry's back with all of his weight. The Digital Hunter shot back to his feet and the two warriors stared at each other.

"Pretty good," Lord Sentry said, "But then again, I didn't expect anything less from the great Taichi Yagami."

The Qinglongmon Warrior only stared at the Digital Hunter. "You are an inhuman murderer, and I'm going to make sure you never kill again!"

Lord Sentry smirked. "Well, you're wrong about that. I will kill one more freak of nature, your little sister."

"Hikari?" he shouted.

"That's right," Lord Sentry smirked, "and when she's lying dead in the ground, the last light for the Digital World will be gone."

Taichi exploded with anger and charged at Lord Sentry, his fists were glowing white with energy. The Digital Hunter prepared his own laser attack and waited for the right moment to strike. The two warriors were about to attack….

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Back on Earth, Hikari stared at Daisuke as he lay sleeping peacefully on the small cot. After the battle with Nimrod, the Priestess of Qinglongmon carried her faithful warrior to the basement of an apartment building while Maria salvaged what she could from the New York team's home. The young Priestess of Baihumon was now sleeping as well; Hikari was the only one awake.

She was about to check on Maria when she heard a familiar chiming sound. It was her D-terminal. She quickly opened the front cover to examine her screen; she had just received an e-mail message from Sora.

_Hikari, are you there? E-mail me back right now!_

She did. "_Sora, what's wrong?"_

The redhead responded immediately. _"Hikari, it's Taichi, he…he needs you."_

The Priestess felt her heart sink into her stomach. Her fingers were trembling as she typed her response. _"Why?"_

_"He fought Lord Sentry and now…."_

_"I need to talk to him!"_

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Back in the Digital World, Sora walked back to the forest clearing where Taichi was lying, his clothes were torn, his body covered with blood, and his eyes nearly closed. Yamato was kneeling beside him, and Sora soon joined him. "Taichi..?" she asked gently.

"W..what is it?" he asked, very weakly.

"I…I have Hikari on her D-terminal," she said, "T..tell me what you want to say to her, okay?"

Taichi struggled to nod, but his energy was nearly gone. "A..ask her i…if Daisuke's okay."

Sora did so. "She says that he fought Nimrod and beat him. He's unconscious, but he's fine."

"Good. Tell her, that Daisuke has to beat…beat Lord Sentry…"

On Earth, Hikari read the message. She typed her response. _"Why?"_

"I tried Hikari…I tried so hard, but I just couldn't beat him. I couldn't. I'm sorry Hikari, I know that you wanted me to walk you down the isle, but I don't think that's going to happen."

Hikari did not type a response, she was too busy crying. "Oniichan…Oniichan!"

Back in the Digital World, Sora fought back her own tears. "T..tachi, H…hikari didn't send anything back."

"T..tell her that…that I love her."

Sora finally broke down and started crying. She did manage to type Taichi's final message. He turned to the blond-haired man."Good. Y..yamto, y…you've got to watch out for everyone, take care of Hikari."

"I will, I will."

Taichi smiled and slowly closed his eyes.

_Hikari, you know you're not supposed to be playing with the computer.  
_

_But it's doing something weird._

_  
It's a pleasure to meet each of you. My name's Taichi, and these are my friends from camp. I'd like you to meet Sora…And the self-proclaimed cool one over there is Yamato._

_  
Taichi! Your courage is giving me even greater strength, I can evolve!_

_  
"What can happen? This isn't the real me"_

_"Don't test theories now, Taichi!" _

_"Pain still hurts Taichi!"_

_"What are you thinking, Taichi? That we're in a video game? That nothing can happen to us because these aren't our real selves?_

_"Yeah, something like that," he grunted as he tried to break free of Jyou's grasp_

_"Our Digital selves are directly linked to our other selves back home!" Koushiro shouted, finally realizing Taichi's problem and intending to forcefully rectify it, "You need to be a lot more careful No telling what may happen If something happens here_

_"It happens there," Taichi said, weakly Jyou released his grip and felt the energy drain away from Taichi. The goggle-headed leader felt his entire world cave away from underneath his feet He had never felt this way before "I..I can't move!"_

_Koushiro continued to type into his laptop "The weak point is one meter to your right"_

_Taichi remained perfectly still "No way! Just one false move and it's over"_

_  
"You just picked on the wrong guy's little sister Mr. Fang-face!"_

_  
"Metal Wolf Claw!"_

_"Terra Force!"_

_The two attacks disintegrated Apocalymon's upper body in an explosive array of light that illuminated the dark void around him and the Digidestined_

_"We did it!" Yamato cheered_

_"We destroyed all of his claws!" Jyou said_

_"Still think you're so tough?" Taichi asked_

"_Hey, Sora, wait up!"_

_"Oh, Taichi," she said, nervously moving a wrapped box around in her hands._

_"Something smells good," Agumon said._

_"Yamato's busy getting ready, but, I'll take those to him," Gabumon said._

_"I bet you will," Biyomon snapped,"No way, you'll eat the whole thing yourself!"_

_"So, um, Sora, are you going to the concert with anybody-I'm mean, not that it matters to me... just wondering..."_

_"No, I want to be available in case Yamato is free afterwards, heh."_

_"Oh, I see, Yamato, huh?"_

_"Mmm hmm," she said, blushing slightly._

_"It's okay."_

_"You mean, you're not mad at me, Taichi?"_

_"No, of course not! Now, get in there and say hi to Yamato for me."_

_"Thanks Taichi."_

_"The least you could do is leave us the cookies," Agumon said._

_"Tell you what, I'll make some special ones for you."_

_"I'll be waiting, thanks."_

_"You know what, Taichi?" Agumon asked._

_"What?"_

_"You've really grown up."_

_  
"Who are you?" Taichi demanded._

_"You may refer to me as Lord Sentry," he responded, "For as long as you are alive, that is." He held up his left hand and aimed a wrist based energy projectile at Hikari. "Ladies first."_

_"Kari, look out!" her brother shouted, using the name that she would allow only him to call her. He fell on top of her, using his body to shield her. Over Taichi's shoulders, she could see the towering figure of the Digital Hunter. She closed her eyes, awaiting the final scream from her brother's lips, but a different voice screamed out. She opened her eyes again and saw that Agumon had sacrificed himself to save the siblings._

_  
Suddenly, both Taichi and Daisuke's armored body began to glow in the same manner as the other's. However, their armor did not fade and vanish as the others did, but something else entirely. The armor began to crack and it soon completely shattered. In place of the fallen Taichi and Daisuke stood two new but familiar figures. They stared at one another in shock._

_"Taichi, is that you?"_

_He nodded. "Yeah. What just happened, and what am I wearing?" He looked down at his body, which no longer had armor covering it, but an orange gi._

_"What about me?" Daisuke asked, mentioning to his outfit of blue short, stripped short sleeve shirt and a red bandana in his hair. He was no holding a long metal blade, which he held by means of a handle in the center._

_"You look like a character in a video game I played," Taichi said. Suddenly, realization dawned on his face, "Holy crap!" He looked down at himself again, "I don't believe this!"_

_"What?"_

_"You're Serge from Chrono Cross, and I'm Goku from Dragonball Z!" He grinned as he looked himself over, "I don't believe it, I'm really Goku! This is pretty cool!"_

_  
"T…Taichi-san…"_

_"What?" he asked, "What?"_

_"I…I'm sorry I wasn't more help. I was weak, and just got in the way."_

_"What are you talking about?" Sora shouted._

_"Yeah," Taichi said, "You were great! I mean, if it wasn't for you, we'd have never even gotten out of the Sleeping Valley!"_

_She smiled. "Please…you should go. I'm sure Hikari needs you…"_

_"They'll be fine," Taichi said._

_Sora shot him a strange glance, she never thought Taichi would say something like that. She did not challenge him, however, only glanced at Noriko. "Yeah, I think we'll stay…just a little while longer."_

_Noriko smiled, tears forming in her eyes. "I just wish…I could have been there…when she summoned Qinglongmon…please…tell Hikari…I'm sorry…" She smiled, "And…tell her…Takeru….won't be alone…"_

_She suddenly quaked in pain, before her eyes slowly closed; her body lying perfectly still. Sora burst out in tears while Taichi screamed in rage, slamming his fists into the brick walls. "Noriko!"_

_  
Two-year-old Taichi hid behind the couch as he watched his mother and father walk inside. He could see a small bundle in his mother's arms, one that she was cradling next to her chest. His parents were busy talking to his grandmother, and his mother sat down on the couch. His father smiled when he finally found him._

_"There you are sport." He placed a hand on Taichi's shoulder, "Come on, there's someone who's waiting to see you."_

_He led Taichi around to the front of the couch where his mother was waiting. Mrs. Yagami smiled as she gently lowered the bundle so Taichi could see. "This is your new sister, Hikari."_

_"Hikari?" he asked. He stared at the baby girl, who giggled when she saw him._

_His father knelt down and looked at Taichi's face. "Now son, listen up, you're the big brother now, your mother and I expect you to be nice to Hikari and take care of her, understand?"_

_"Big brother," he nodded. He looked at Hikari and smiled, "Hikari, little sister."_

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Taichi…my oniichan was gone. I was all alone, all alone. I couldn't go on without him. He was always there, whenever I needed him, and now he's gone. Taichi…oh Taichi…


	17. Chapter XVI: For the Sake of my Love One

There were many enemies that we Chosen had to face: Devimon, Etemon, Vamdemon, Metalseadramon, Pinochimon, Mugen Dramon, Piemon, the Digimon Kaizer, Archanemon, Mummymon, Oikawa, and countless others, but none have been so ruthless and cold-bloodied as the Digital Hunters, and their leader, Lord Sentry was the worst of the worse. I have never felt such hate and rage since Vamdemon. Lord Sentry had no regard for any Chosen, their families, friends, or anyway connected to them. They brutally murdered our families, killing everyone

My parents were killed my the Digital Hunters, along with Tailmon, but even though I lost them, I never felt alone, because my brother was right along side me. Taichi continued to watch out for me. After he died, I didn't think I could go on all alone, but I realized that as long as Daisuke was beside me, I would never be alone. He became my strength, and was there for every major event of my life from that day forward. Daisuke, my love.

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The Chosen Warriors

_Chapter XVI:_

_For the Sake of the One I Love_

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Daisuke was awoken with the sound of loud sobs. He blinked a few times, trying to remember what had happened. He remembered fighting Nimrod…_killing_ Nimrod, but…how did he get here? He suddenly remembered the sobbing; it sounded like…

"Hikari?"

He noticed the Priestess of Qinglongmon curled up on the floor. He leapt out of the bed. "Hikari…Hikari!"

She did not respond, only continued to cry. He tried to stay calm. "Hikari, what's wrong?"

The brown-haired girl seemed to finally notice his presence. Her cheeks were bright red and her eyes were sore and puffy, she must have been crying for a long time. "Oh, Daisuke," she sobbed.

A dark feeling appeared in the pit of his stomach. "What?"

Hikari took a few deep breaths, trying to get her crying under control. "It's…it's…" She fell back to her knees. "Taichi's gone!" she burst out.

"G…gone?"

She nodded, but almost fell over and needed to use her hands to keep herself from falling. "Oniichan is dead…he's dead!" She fell back to the floor and began to sob again. Daisuke found himself having trouble sitting correctly. He almost fell onto the floor as well. He needed to be strong for Hikari, even though he wanted nothing more then to curl up and cry too. He knelt on the floor and placed his hand on the brown-haired girl's shoulder. The Priestess of Qinglongmon quickly embraced him and continued to cry in his chest.

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Outside, the small room, Maria had been listening to the exchange. She felt Hikari's pain, but maybe there was something she could do to help. She silently walked out of the warehouse that was currently serving as their home and stepped into the morning fog. She knelt down and placed her hands together in prayer. "Lord Baihumon, I wish to make my second wish: restore the lives of the Chosen Warriors that have fallen."

A transparent image of Baihumon appeared before his Priestess. "Lord Baihumon," she nodded.

The Western God nodded. "I am sorry, but your wish cannot be granted."

"What? Why not?"

"Death is final; even _I_ cannot bring a soul back from the hereafter. I am sorry."

She nodded. "Yes, I understand." She sighed deeply, "I understand."

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The young blond man glanced up as Lord Sentry walked into the command room. "Why are you so happy?" he asked.

"Why wouldn't I be pleased?" he asked.

"Our entire army has been defeated in one attack by Ichijoji!"

"And died in the process," Lord Sentry grinned, "and in that battle, the remainder of the Baihumon Warriors were killed, and I challenged Yagami and killed him with my bare hands! And…and soon the Priestesses of Baihumon and Qinglongmon will be within my grasp! I will kill them myself! We are close, my otouto, very close!"

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The midday found Daisuke, Hikari, and Maria standing inside of a morgue. "I can't believe we snuck in here!" Hikari hissed.

"We have to see Wallace," Maria said, "I owe him that much."

"Are you sure this is where they took his body?" the Priestess of Qinglongmon asked.

Maria nodded. "While you were watching Daisuke, I followed the police back here."

Daisuke stared at the rows of small doors. "Okay, which one is it? I can't read American."

Maria scanned the names and she pointed at one just above her reach. "That's it."

Daisuke nodded and pried open the door and slid out the shelf that contained a body covered by a white sheet. "This is really creepy," Hikari shivered, "Are you sure we should be doing this?" Her question was answered by the sad expression on Maria's face.

Daisuke slowly pulled over the sheet to reveal the face of Wallace. The Priestess of Baihumon gasped and covered her mouth. "W..wallace!" The full weight of the deaths of her warriors, and even Hikari's finally came crashing into her. She fell onto her knees and cried. Daisuke tried to help her to her feet, but she had no intention of standing. She just continued to bawl.

Hikari stared at the body of Wallace and an image of Taichi flashed through her mind. She could only image Her parents were gone, and now so was her brother. She was alone. Alone, all alone, she was all alone…The loss of her brother coupled with her anxiety and fear overcame her.

"I…I can't stay here," she said, "I…I've got to…" She charged out of the morgue.

"Hikari-chan!" Daisuke shouted, torn between running after the woman he loved and protecting the sobbing Maria.

"Go," the Priestess of Baihumon managed to say.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah..I'm all right," her crying was becoming under control, "J..just go."

He nodded and charged after his Priestess. Maria continued to cry for a little longer before rising to her feet. She gave a silent prayer for the fallen boy before her, then she covered him and pushed him back into the wall. She dried her tears and started to leave. She walked through the halls, carefully not to be caught by morgue personal, when she felt a presence behind her. Thinking that one of the morgue workers had found her, she slowly turned around to await the questions, but to her horror she realized who it was. "Lord Sentry!"

He chuckled. "I'm glad you remember, I was worried you know."

"H…how did you find me?"

"Please, I exterminated nearly every Chosen Child on earth, so don't you think it's easy to track an energy signal as massive as yours and Hikari Yagami's?"

Maria was slowly stepping backwards, but keeping her eyes on the Digital Hunter. "W..what do you want?"

"To kill you of course," he chuckled, "But you have something I need."

"W..what?"

"Those remaining wishes."

She found a new well of courage filling up inside of her. "I'm not giving you those wishes, and since I'm the only who can, you'll never get them."

Lord Sentry laughed. "I can be very persuasive." He walked towards her, "Now, about those wishes…"

Maria's courage vanished. She screamed and charged down the hall.

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Daisuke finally found Hikari collapsed on a park bench. "Hikari-chan!"

She slowly turned to face him. "Daisuke…I'm sorry. I just couldn't be in there anymore, I just kept remembering Taichi…" Her face contorted and she began to cry again, "Oh God, Daisuke, why did he have to die? I miss him so much already!"

He sighed. "Listen, I know it's hard, but we've got to move forward, right? I mean, that's what Taichi-sempai would have wanted."

She sniffled, holding back her tears. "Yeah, I know…I know…But, how can I go on without him? He was my brother!"

"I know that, but Hikari, I'm here, and I'm NOT going anywhere, don't worry."

The Priestess of Qinglongmon was about to respond, when she gasped loudly. "Maria!""

Daisuke spun around and watched as Maria charged towards them with Lord Sentry in hot pursuit. "Hikari, Daisuke!" she shouted.

The Qinglongmon Warrior did not hesitate. He quickly transformed to his armor, then evolved to his highest form, Crono from _Chrono_ _Trigger. _With simple ease, he unsheathed his sword and charged. Lord Sentry easily backhanded him into one of the garbage cans. This gave Maria a chance to run behind Hikari.

"So," the Digital Hunter smirked, "Daisuke and Hikari. Excellent, I'll destroy you all and complete my mission!"

"Forget it!" Daisuke shouted, jumping back onto his feet. He held his sword tightly in his hands, "You're not killing any more!" He charged forward and swung his sword down as hard as he could. Lord Sentry easily blocked with his armored forearm then used his other fist to slam Daisuke in the face.

"He's not going to last much longer!" Maria gasped.

"He needs help!" Hikari shouted.

"Who? We don't have any warriors left!"

"No!" the Priestess of Qinglongmon gasped, "Yamato and Sora! They're still alive! But how are they going to get here?"

The Priestess of Baihumon nodded. "I can bring them here."

"But, that's your second wish!"

She smiled. "Don't worry, it's worth it." She placed her hands together and closed her eyes. "Lord Baihumon, I want to make my second wish, please bring Sora Takenouchi and Yamato Ishida to us!"

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In of the Digital World, Sora and Yamato had just finished burying Taichi and Ken. The redheaded warrior placed her head on the blond warrior's shoulder. The young man wrapped her arm around her. "I miss them too."

Sora shook her head. "Noriko and Ken died right in front of me! E..everytime I close my eyes all I can see is their dead bodies in my mind!" She started shaking, "I…I don't know if I can go on! I…don't want to lose you!"

Yamato hugged her tightly. "I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

She hugged him tightly. Suddenly, a blast of light and wind tore through them. They were yanked into the air and vanished, only to reappear a second later by smashing into the hard sidewalk. They both jumped to their feet and saw the two Priestesses. "Hikari?" Yamato gasped, "W..what's going on?"

"Yamato!" Sora gasped. The blond warrior spun around in time to watch Lord Sentry throw Daisuke into the street. Thankfully, the car stopped with inches to spare. The driver jumped out.

"What's going on?"

"Just go!" Daisuke shouted, lumbering to his feet, "You've got to go!"

The driver ignored him. Sentry grinned and pointed his wrist-based laser at the driver and blasted a hole through his back. "You…you…" Daisuke tried to speak, but his rage and horror overwhelmed him.

"He was simply in the way," Sentry said, "If you didn't seek shelter from him, he'd be fine right now."

Hikari was quivering with rage as well. She could only see Lord Sentry as the man who killed her brother. Her body began to radiate bright blue light, which exploded in a force that harmed no one except for the Digital Hunter.

"W..what is this!" he shouted.

Hikari, completely enveloped in light, pointed her hands forward, and the blue light shot from her palms. Lord Sentry quickly countered by firing a light beam from his own wrist-based laser. The two energy beams smashed into one another, each one halting the other. Daisuke shouted to Yamato and Sora. "We've got to help her!"

Yamato and Sora quickly evolved to their highest levels, Sailor Moon and Ryo from _Samurai Troopers_. Yamato leapt into the air behind his priestess, executing Ryo's signature move, "Double Fire Cut!" His fire beam smashed into Hikari's beam.

Daisuke stood to the right while Sora stood to the left. Their own energy attacks also added to Hikari's beam, causing it to grow in strength, however, it still was not enough.

"Moon Scepter Halatation!"

Luminaire!"

Sentry laughed as his laser continued to push back the Qinglongmon Warrior's beam. "Come on, keep it up! I can do this all day! Ha!"

Sora gripped her scepter tightly as it continued to pour energy into Hikari's beam. "_Man, this is suicide!"_ she thought, "_We can't win, there's no way! We're gonna end up dead, just like Taichi. What's the point anyway? We're the only ones left, there's no one left to protect."_ Her eyes drifted over to Maria, who was hiding behind Hikari. "_No, Maria's still here! And she has wishes left! She could make a difference, she could change everything! I've got to fight, to save her! But, even if we do win, we're not going to make it, but, then again, sometimes you have to give it your all, sacrifice even yourself to do the right thing. Ken, Noriko, you taught me that much!"_

Up in the air, Yamato's own energy beams were keeping him afloat as well as adding strength to Hikari's beam. "_Takeru, I wish you were here! I need your help so badly, but, you _are _here aren't you? Watching over us right now. I still can't believe you're gone, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have ever made it through the Digital World. You kept me going, it was your strength that fueled me! Takeru, I won't let him hurt anyone else! I promise!"_

Down on the bottom, Daisuke poured all of his energy into Hikari's beam. His eyes drifted to the Priestess of Qinglongmon. "_Taichi-sempai, you've got one hell of a kid sister here. Like brother like sister, huh? Taichi, you taught me everything I know: about soccer, about being a Chosen, about being a hero. I learned everything from you, and how do I repay you? I just let you die! Well, I won't make the same mistake with Hikari!"_

All three Warriors screamed and poured even more energy into Hikari's beam. Lord Sentry was visibly shaken. The might of the beams forced him to skid back, but he did not falter. He slowly raised his other arm, which had it's own laser, and pointed it at the Priestess of Qinglongmon. He fired a beam that smashed into Hikari, the force of which sent her three warriors flying in all directions. Once the combined energy beam had vanished, Lord Sentry grinned. He was panting, however, and he stumbled as he walked.

"There..I..I did it…" He glanced in Maria's direction. "And now, about you."

The Priestess of Baihumon did not run. She stared him directly in the face, the courage of Hikari had deeply touched her, if the Qinglongmon Priestess did not run, then neither would she. "I'm not going to give you my last wish."

Sora, who had been thrown onto the roof of one of the abandoned cars in the middle of the street, stared at the young Hispanic girl. "M..Maria…y..you've got to run!"

"I won't," she said, "Michael, Mimi, Wallace, Sam, Steve, Tatem, and Lou, all gone because of him! I won't dishonor their sacrifice by running now."

Lord Sentry laughed. "So touching." He pointed his wrist based laser at her, "But after seeing Miss Yagami's power here, I don't think it would be a good idea to let a Priestess of the Digital World live. You're going to die."

"Maria!" Sora shouted.

Hikari had been flung backwards and smashed into a street light, but she still stood strongly. "Maria, run! Run!"

The Priestess of Baihumon remained still. "I will not run."

"Then say goodbye!" Sentry laughed. He fired a massive beam from his wrist-based laser, heading straight towards Maria. As she was enveloped with light, she had her hands together and her eyes closed. When the light faded, there was not even a trace of her left. The Baihumon Warriors and their Priestess were completely gone.

"No!" Daisuke shouted. He and Yamato had landed into one of the garbage cans. They grabbed their swords and stumbled back into the battlefield. Sora soon joined them. They were all several drained, having used all of their energy for Hikari's beam. All three struggled to stand, but none of them would ever give up. They were about to attack, but a white light from behind caught their attention. Hikari was standing in the center of four glowing objects; as the white light faded, the objects became clear: a blue earring, a ring, a necklace, and a mirror.

"S..shinazos?" Sora gasped.

"Maria," Daisuke said, "She was asking for a wish, she did this."

"Her dying wish," Yamato said.

Hikari was shaking. "M...Maria's last wish, to give me the Shinzahos." She stared Lord Sentry directly in the face. "Lords of the Stars, Gods of the Digital World, I call to you. Descend from the heavens and grant me my wishes. Appear to me as I call your name, Qinglongmon!"

"No!" Lord Sentry shouted, running towards them, but he was thrown back by the force of the summoning. A giant transparent blue dragon was hovering over the brown-haired girl. It stared down at her and seemed to smile.

"Congratulations, Hikari," it said, "You have succeeded, but time is of the essence. I must merge with you and to use my powers three times, all you have to do it call my name."

She nodded. "I understand."

Qinglongmon turned completely transparent and flowed into the brown-haired girl. She stumbled for a moment, but quickly regained her balance.

"Hikari-chan?" Daisuke asked.

"I..I'm fine," she said.

"A condition you won't be in for long," Lord Sentry sneered. The three Qinglongmon Warriors turned to face him, their weapons ready.

"Bring it on!" Daisuke shouted, "We're gonna finally cream you!"

"Ha!" Sentry laughed, "From over here it looks like I just need to blow and you'll fall over."

Hikari stared at her warriors and realized that Sentry was right. "I can fix that. Lord Qinglongmon, I want to make my first wish, heal Daisuke, Sora and Yamato."

A wave of light washed up from their feet, erasing all scratches and injuries, repairing their clothes and revitalizing them. They glanced at each other and grinned. "All right!" Daisuke shouted, "Let's go!"

Sentry laughed. "I'll take you all on!"

Yamato charged from the right and swung his sword, but Sentry blocked it with his forearm. Sora ran from the right, but was blasted away by his wrist-based laser. Daisuke ran up from behind. Sentry grinned and executed a roundhouse kick that struck all three warriors.

"Is that the best you got?" he laughed.

Hikari clenched her fist. There had to be something she could do, but what? Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her, something familiar. She glanced over her shoulder; no one was there, but she still felt something…four presences in fact, four familiar…

Realization dawned on her, she knew exactly what to do. "Sora, Yamato!" she screamed, "Give me your energy!"

"What?" Yamato gasped.

"Hikari, what do you mean?" Sora asked.

"Just do it! Please, trust me."

The two Warriors nodded and ran to her side. They placed their hands on her shoulders and forced their energy into their Priestess. Hikari held out her palms and fired another blast of blue light.

"This again?" Lord Sentry laughed. He readied his wrist-based laser, "I beat it before, why even try?"

Hikari smirked. "Who said I was aiming for you?"

The Digital Hunter gasped. "What?" He watched as the beam shot over his shoulder and struck Daisuke's sword. The Qinglongmon Warrior watched in awe as the blade suddenly radiated in a multitude of colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.

"What is this?" Sentry shouted.

Daisuke smiled. "I guess you don't play too many video games, huh? Crono's ultimate weapon is the Rainbow Sword, made from seven lights, or in this case, seven stars, the Seven Stars of Qinglongmon!"

Lord Sentry held his ground. "Do you think that scares me? I'll break your pathetic sword and after I kill you, I'll tear the heart from your weak little Priestess!"

Daisuke roared and charged towards him with his Rainbow Sword gleaming in front of him. Lord Sentry fired from his laser again, but Daisuke leapt into the air at the last second, the energy blast smashing the ground.

"Where did he go?" the Digital Hunter asked, glancing around. He looked to the sky seconds before Daisuke came charging towards him from behind. Sentry spun around seconds before Daisuke's sword rammed through his chest. A fountain of energy flowed from the Digital Hunter, through the Rainbow Sword and into Daisuke. The Qinglongmon Warrior was suddenly assaulted by visions and images, so strange and odd that he realized they came from his opponent. Sentry's life flashed before Daisuke's eyes, everything, including the events of a fateful day in the Tokyo river, as well as the name of his opponent.

"Yamaki," Daisuke gasped, his sword still rammed through Sentry's chest, "Your real name…it's Yamaki."

The Digital Hunter coughed. "D…damn you, Motomiya. Didn't Yagami ever teach you not to look through another man's heart?"

"Your wife, I…I had no idea…"

"Don't…!" he coughed, "Y..you won, don't disgrace it with your feelings! You're freaks of nature, accidents in reality! You killed me, but, it's not over. There will always be someone to protect the world from freaks like you! You may have saved yourselves now, but what about your children? Their nightmare has only just begun!" He gave one final laugh before his eyes closed and he died on Daisuke's sword. The Qinglongmon Warrior breathed in relief and released his sword, dropping the body to the ground.

"It's finally over."

"Daisuke!" Hikari shouted, nearly tackling him to the ground, "Oh Daisuke! You're okay!"

He smiled. "Thanks to you. That was amazing, using all of our energy like that!"

Yamato and Sora walked over. "I have just one question," Sora said, "Where did you get those other four energies from? There were just three of us."

"No, they were here!" Hikari gasped, "Taichi, Takeru, Ken and Noriko, they were all here! They were all around me, I swear!"

Yamato smiled. "I'm sure they were. I'm sure they were."

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Recorder gasped as she listened to the report over her headset. She turned to the blond man standing behind her. "I…I don't believe it."  
"What is it?"

"Lord Sentry…he's gone, killed by the Qinglongmon Warriors."

The other man clenched his fists in rage, "Those freaks, those blasted freaks! They'll pay for this, I swear they'll pay!"

Recorder nodded. "Y..yes, sir."

Mitsuo Yamaki took a deep breath. "They'll pay for killing my older brother, I will take over his mission, and I'd like you to be there with me, Miss Ootori."

She nodded. "I would be honored."

Yamaki smiled. "Excellent."

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The next day, Hikari stood in the central park of Tokyo. The journey home from New York was difficult, but they managed to make it. Daisuke wanted to join her, but this was something that she needed to do herself.

She walked for a bit until she stopped before a strange building, small and concrete, with iron bars along the front. "What a strange place." She sighed, "I think this is far enough, no one will see me here."

She placed her hands together and closed her eyes. "Lord Qinglongmon, I want to make my second wish, please, heal all the damage done to the Digital World by the Digital Hunters!"

She felt a slightly jump from inside of her. She knew that Qinglongmon had just granted the second wish, too bad she would never be able to see the beauty of the Digital World again.

She hesitated. "Well, Maria, I guess you were right after all, Earth and the Digital World can't ever exist in peace with one another. Lord Sentry's last words convinced me of that." She glanced to her right and a transparent image of the Priestess of Baihumon appeared.

"This doesn't need to be forever," Maria said, "The time isn't right, perhaps one day, the two world will exists alongside each other in peace, but not now. The Digital World isn't ready for the prejudice of humans, and Earth isn't ready for the sheer power of the Digital World. Now, make the wish, Hikari, protect the Digital World."

She nodded. "Qinglongmon, I have my third wish, seal the Digital World, but not forever. When a Chosen Child of true heroism arrives, he or she will be able to break the seal."

She felt an even greater jump from inside. Qinglongmon had granted her last wish. Her mission was now over. She only wished that she could have made her true wish, everyone on Earth deserved a digimon partner, it would fulfill their lives, just as Tailmon did hers. "Someday, I know it will happen, some day."

She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, but when she spun around, she saw that no one was there. She smiled. "I'm glad you agree Taichi."

She turned back around and began to walk out of the park.

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The battle was finally over. We had won, I only wished we could have done it sooner, so many Chosen were killed, all because of a man filled with hate and prejudice.

Well, that's not my only regret. I wanted everyone on Earth to have their own digimon partners, but I could not. As long as people like Lord Sentry and the Digital Hunters exist, the chosen will never know peace. Hate and bigotry cannot be cured by a wish to the gods, only humans can conquer that for themselves.

May you live in peace and happiness, and never let your hate rule your life. Farewell, until we meet again.


End file.
